FİDAN ABDULLAH

Shahba- People living in the Shahba Canton face many difficulties due to the embargo imposed by the Syrian regime and ongoing Turkish attacks on their city. The Education Committee of Afrin and Shahba had to close schools in the canton about two weeks ago due to the embargo and attacks.

15,000 students have been affected

The Syrian regime has been imposing an inhuman embargo on the city by preventing the entry of food, medicine, fuel, flour and basic materials to Allepo’s Sheikh Maqsood and Eshrefiye neighborhoods for about two months. The Shahba-Afrin Education Committee closed the Health Institute and Martyr Vian Amara Institute due to the ongoing embargo and attacks. The committee also had to close 72 schools and 15,000 students have been deprived of their right to education due to the ongoing embargo and attacks. The committee opened the schools on September 18, 2022 for displaced children of Afrin and the children of Shahba Canton by changing the education system to be more effective.

People cannot meet even their basic needs

Zakho Jan Hussein, member of the Shahba-Afrin Education Committee of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, told us that the people of the Shahba Canton cannot meet even their basic needs due to the ongoing embargo imposed by the Syrian regime and Turkish attacks and that thousands of children have been deprived of their right to education. “Displaced people of Afrin, who live in Shahba, and the people of Shahba have difficulties in meeting their basic needs such as food and fuel to keep their families warm in winter.

Delivery of fuel to the canton is prevented

Highlighting that students are the most affected from the ongoing embargo, Zakho Jan Hussein said, “The embargo causes thousands of students to be deprived of their right to education. The situation has become worse due to the ongoing embargo. The delivery of fuel to the canton is prevented. Since villages of the Shahba Canton are far from each other, we face difficulty in arranging transportation for children. Many villages have no school. The children have to go to schools in other villages. Schools do not have fuel to keep classes warm in winter. So 72 schools have been closed.”

Call on human rights organizations

Speaking about how children are affected by the closure of schools, Zakho Jan Hussein said, “The embargo and attacks affect children. I call on human rights organizations and organizations protecting children’s rights to take urgent action. The children living in the Shahba Canton have the right to education.”

‘Children are badly affected by the ongoing war’

Wajiha Hussein, a mother, is worried about her children’s education. “Children are badly affected by the ongoing war in Syria. The ongoing attacks, forcible displacement and the embargo have badly affected children. Children face many difficulties in accessing their right to education. Human rights organizations must take action for children to access their right to education.”