(Frontline) – In more than five years of war, the fighting in Syria has left an estimated 470,000 dead, more than 1 million injured, and driven 11.3 million from their homes. For the millions of children caught in the middle, the war has taken an especially painful toll. According to UNICEF, 8.4 million children – more than 80 percent of Syria’s child population – have been affected by the conflict, either in Syria or as refugees in neighboring countries. In 2015 alone, the agency documented nearly 1,500 “grave violations” against children. The majority of these violations were cases of killing or maiming from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the agency said.
