Around 10,000 Syrian refugee children in Middle Eastern countries are currently living without adult supervision, Jordan’s UNHCR chief announced, pointing out that children make up to 50 percent of Syria’s refugees.
Speaking at a conference titled "Strengthening National Protection Systems in Refugee Settings: Principle and Practice”, the head of the UN refugee agency in Jordan, Andrew Harper, appealed to the international community to support refugee host countries, especially Jordan, by working to integrate Syrian children into the educational system in the countries where they reside, while also protecting them from sexual violence and ensuring their access to social services.
In the same context, UNHCR Senior Regional Protection Coordinator Tayyar Sukru Cansizoglu said: "There are more than 4 million Syrian refugees registered in the UNHCR, 79 percent of which are in the region, and half of them are under the age of 18 years.”
Cansizoglu explained that 75 percent of refugees are women and children, adding that 89 percent of Syrian refugees are living in rural and urban areas and still require the provision of necessary services, demanding stronger partnerships to help refugees throughout the region.
Cansizoglu also noted that around 142,000 Syrian children have been born in exile since the start of the crisis, adding that the vast majority are stateless as they have no official identification papers.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
