Idlib | Newborn baby girl found dead and dumped on street in western countryside

Syrian Observatory activists have reported that a newborn baby girl was found in a box on the road between Maryamayn and Darkoush in the western countryside of Idlib. The baby died of hypothermia while residents were transporting her to hospital.

 

It is worth noting that the abandonment of new-born babies has become more prevalent during the years of fighting and confliction different parts of Syria. And sadly, cases of child abandonment in the streets have become familiar to many people. Although it is difficult to determine the scale of the phenomenon as there are no official statistics or studies, the recurrence of these incidents confirms its prevalence , in the absence of relevant institutions to deal with these cases.

 

On November 13, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shed light on this tragic phenomenon and its facts, causes and consequences.

 

Escalating incidents of child abandonment

 

The number of children abandoned in the streets, in front of mosques and in rubbish bins has increased, with nearly 40 cases of child abandonment in Idlib province and the northern Aleppo countryside in 2018 and the first half of 2019.

 

Idlib province, northern Aleppo countryside, Damascus and its countryside and the Euphrates Shield area are experiencing a surge in these cases.

 

The rate of child abandonment cases continues to increase in 2020 as military operations and displacement of Syrians continue. The Syrian Observatory has warned of the worsening of this phenomenon, its rapid spread in the Syrian provinces, and of its tragic impacts. Meanwhile, the number of child abandonment cases is thought to be much higher, especially with cases in remote places that are difficult to identify and document.

 

Actual Causes

 

Several crucial factors have contributed to the spread of this sad phenomenon:

 

Poverty, destitution and low living standards have forced some parents to abandon their children. This has been particularly compounded by an ongoing war which, in many cases, has resulted in the loss of a parent or pivotal family members.

 

Women who married foreign or non-foreign fighters may be forced under the pressure of their parents to abandon their children, as they are unable to afford their living and upbringing, particularly if their husbands get killed or lost due to military operations.

 

In ISIS-held areas in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, there were at least 350 women married to foreigners in one camp alone, while the number of ISIS women in the Self-Administration’s camps has exceeded 4,000 women and 8,000 children. Additionally, there are hundreds of court cases to prove marriages of women to foreigners in areas held by armed factions.

 

Moreover, the prevalent culture in Syrian society, as an oriental society, encourages young males and females to marry at an early age and or once they reach a state of sexual maturity or adolescence, regardless of their emotional, psychological, behavioural and social maturity. These married teenagers often lack parenting  experiences, a thing which results in the abandonment of children, particularly given the deteriorating security conditions and poverty.

 

Furthermore, children born outside the institution of marriage are rejected by the conservative Syrian society, and in many cases end up, along with their mothers, getting killed for “honour” reasons and many children get abandoned simple because they were born outside marriage.

 

In other words, a male-dominated society tends to reject any child of unknown parentage or without a father, and we see the stigma that comes with that.

 

Furthermore, women who experience sexual abuse or rape and tend to get rid of their children who are the product of such incidents. Therefore, we have seen an increases in the number of abandoned children born in such circumstances across Syria, especially in in the current climate of war, security chaos and lawlessness which have made women prone to sexual abuse and rape.

 

As the sad and very emotive phenomenon of child abandonment has been felt and become more visible across Syria, SOHR tries to shed some light on the most significant impacts of this phenomena, which can be summarised as follows:

 

• The increasing number of homeless children and prevalence of begging: SOHR has monitored widespread prevalence of begging in Jaramana in the Damascus area, especially since many children have lost their houses and families because of the ongoing conflict and violence.

 

• The increasing activities and reach of gangs, which exploit homeless children in order to collect money and force them to do illegal activities, have led these children to drug dependence and involvement in crimes and violent acts.
• The growing activities of “human organs dealers”.

 

• Sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation of children, both boys and girls, particularly in light of poor living conditions, ongoing war, violence and lawlessness.

 

• Military recruitment: SOHR has documented recruitment of many children in the ranks of numerous military groups, factions and jihadi organizations. According to reliable SOHR sources, nearly 350 children have been sent to Libya, 18 of those children have been killed in military operations. It is worth noting that ISIS also recruited large number of Syrian children in several provinces in a military formation dubbed “Caliphate Cubs” which accounted for 60% to 40% of the total number of ISIS In 2014, ISIS recruited over 4,000 children in Deir Ezzor province only, of whom 600 children killed.

 

• Undocumented children are deprived of healthcare and education: with approximately five million Syrian children displaced inside and outside Syria as a result of fighting and violent clashes in their areas, many children have lost identification documents and become virtually stateless and with no nationality, in particular children born in refugee camps and areas controlled by jihadi organizations, as legal and municipal services and birth registration offices have been closed in the most contested and fought over areas. Sadly, such dire conditions prevented most of these children from citizenship rights. Worse still, the so-called “Salvation Government” in Idlib has refused to formally register children of unknown parentage in schools, as they possess no ID documents, but accepted them to attend classes only as listeners.

 

• Physical and mental distress: with all the violence, sexual abuse, exploitation, recruitment processes, kidnappings, and explosions and attacks Syrian children have had to experience through no fault of their own(not to mention the fact that they are social outcast), they have also become more prone to mental illness and disorders, including depression, withdrawal, and numerous phobias and suicidal thoughts.

 

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, renew our appeals to the international community and organisations, particularly those concerned with children’s rights and welfare wherever they are, to do the right thing and to honour their obligations in terms of protecting and providing for the children of Syria, especially the most vulnerable them. A lasting solution to the Syrian crisis will go a long way; and an immediate help and intervention will at least alleviate the sufferings of millions of Syrian children.