Syria Crisis: Children of refugees suffering amid conflict

World
Europe

Children are among the biggest victims of the Syrian conflict. The kids of Syrian refugees in Jordan are showing the effects of being robbed of peace and stability during their formative years. CGTN's Zhao Yunfei has the story.

Many Syrian children fled to Jordan with their parents to escape the violence at home. More than half of Syrian refugees in Jordan are below 18. The war in their country has left them with what experts suspect are psychological disorders. Kids from Syria often act more mature than their peers. Many don't go to school. And those who do exhibit abnormal behavior.

ABU SULTAN, MANAGER SCHOOL FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES "Syrian students who've lived through the war, they've changed a lot. They are different from other kids. Many Syrian students have psychological problems. I often see them fight with each other. Most of these students don't care about their studies. Their families don't care either."

Unlike children in other parts of the world, Syrian youngsters have been asked to live through plenty of adversity. Getting an education is no longer a priority. Data show nearly half of Syrian children work more than 44 hours a week, with some in harsh conditions.

This school in a refugee camp operates in shifts. Girls study in the morning, boys in the afternoon. At schools outside the camp, mornings are for locals, and afternoons and evenings are for refugees. Most of the volunteers in the schools are Syrian refugees. They used to be engineers, artists, or professors.

SAMEER AL AJAMI VOLUNTEER TEACHER FROM SYRIA "I know how powerful learning is. I love my country and the people. That's why I am here."

There are six million Syrian refugee children, and about a third of them live in places with no access to proper care. As the number continues to increase, the future of these children just grows more uncertain.