(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – UNICEF says more children have been killed in Syria’s civil war in 2016 than in any other year in the 6 year long conflict.
The organization said at least 652 children died – 255 of them in or near a school last year, a 20% jump from the number killed during 2015.
The figure only includes the deaths formally verified, meaning the number could be far higher.
UNICEF also believes more than 850 children were recruited to fight.
The report states the number is double that of 2015. Those recruited increasingly found themselves on the frontline, or in extreme cases used as executioners, suicide bombers or prison guards.
UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, speaking from Homs, Syria said the depth of suffering is unprecedented while millions of children in Syria come under attack on a daily basis, their lives turned upside down.
Six million children are now relying on humanitarian aid due to the civil war, which has been raging for six years this week.
