LENA AL-KATEEB

Idlib - Children are the most vulnerable group in wars and conflicts. They have to live with wounds on their bodies and the traumas to the end. The number of children, who have been left with physical and psychological disabilities because of the war in Syria, is very high. For them, having a “normal” life is almost impossible, especially for the children living in IDPs camps in Idlib.

Nine-year-old Welîd el-Ceban is just one of these children. In 2020, he became paralyzed and unable to walk because a shrapnel piece hit his back. He watches children playing in front of his tent because he has to use a wheelchair.

He has a wheelchair but…

Semiya Hac Ehmed, mother of Welîd el-Ceban, said, “The situation in the camp is quite tragic. Although we often ask for support from humanitarian aid organizations, we do not receive any support. A good-hearted person gave a wheelchair to my son; however, my son cannot use it due to the bad roads of the camp. Our tent cannot protect us from cold weather in winter.”

She cannot go out of the tent

12-year-old Meryem El-Ewad, who was displaced from the town of Cercenaz in the southern countryside of Idlib with her family, also carries the scars of the war on her legs. There is no health center treating her in the camp. “A shrapnel piece hit my legs. I underwent three surgeries, the doctor told me to go to a physiotherapy clinic every day. However, I cannot receive treatment because the camp is far away from the physiotherapy center and its cost is very expensive. My health condition is  deteriorating day by day,” she told us. Meryem El-Ewad cannot go out of the tent since she cannot walk.

Her two children lost their hands in an airstrike

33-year-old Fatima El-Satûf has to work to take care of her two children with disabilities. “Since my husband died of cancer, I have to take care of my four children. My two children lost their hands in an airstrike,” she said.

‘Children are neglected in camps’

Speaking about the needs of children with disabilities, psychologist Rua El-Dêrî said, “Many children have been left with physical and psychological disabilities because of the war. These children face many difficulties due to the lack of services in the camps. Children with disabilities need to receive special health care, education and psychological care so that they can have a normal life, gain self-confidence and reintegrate into society.”