Alwaght- An international children's rights group says nearly six years of militancy in Syria has left the children in trauma.
Based on a report published by Save the Children Group, Syrian children could be suffering from "toxic stress" and trauma as a result of nearly six years of conflict.
The report is based on a research on 450 Syrian children in seven of Syria's 14 governorates showing that millions of Syrian children are living in a state of "toxic stress" and suffer staggering levels of trauma due to prolonged exposure to the horrors of war.
The report, titled "Invisible Wounds" said many Syrian children were "living in an almost constant state of fear" even after escaping from the front lines of the conflict.
The study, based on hundreds of interviews conducted with the children's parents, also found that children were showing more aggressive behavior, suffering from bedwetting, speech impediments, and chest pains, and in some cases attempting suicide.
Marcia Brophy, Save the Children's senior mental health advisor for the West Asia, said toxic stress can disrupt the development of the brain and other organs and increase the risk of addiction and mental health disorders in adulthood.
"We risk condemning a generation of children to a lifetime of mental and physical health problems," Brophy said, adding, "We need to ensure that children who have already lost six years of their lives to war don’t have to lose their whole future as well."
For nearly six years, Syria has been fighting foreign-sponsored militancy. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimated in August last year that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the crisis until then. The world body stopped its official casualty count in the war-torn country, citing its inability to verify the figures it received from various sources.
