UNICEF says 384 children killed so far in Syria
Bodies of children, whom activists say were killed by the Syrian government army, are seen at a medical center in Karm al-Zeitoun near Homs on Thursday. (Reuters)
Published: Jan 27, 2012 16:02 Updated: Jan 28, 2012 23:12
GENEVA: At least 384 children have been killed during Syria’s 10-month uprising and virtually the same number have been jailed, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
“As of Jan. 7, 384 children have been killed, most are boys. Some 380 children have been detained, some less than 14 years old,” Rima Salah, acting UNICEF deputy executive director, told reporters in Geneva.
UNICEF is concerned about the situation in Syria, which has a legal obligation to protect children and uphold their rights, Salah said.
“Our office there is functioning well, we have a dialogue all the time with the government and civil society,” she added.
The previous death toll for children in Syria was 307, according to a statement by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay on Dec. 2.
The UN’s top human rights official on Friday also said authorities in Syria can stop further deaths in the 10-month-old uprising by issuing an order for security forces to cease fire.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said at least 5,400 people have been killed since March but recent figures are difficult to come by because some areas including parts of Homs are now “completely closed” to the outside world.
Residents in Homs and activists outside the city reported a “terrifying massacre” that killed more than 30 people there Friday.
“In my view it’s the authorities who are killing civilians and so it would all stop if an order comes from the top to stop the killings,” Pillay told The Associated Press in an interview Friday in the Swiss city of Davos.
Comments
SHAHID SHAHID
Jan 30, 2012 13:45
Report abuse