Syria: dozens of new-born babies abandoned this year
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that the number of new-born babies abandoned in Syria this year has already reached 33
Erin
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Many reasons are suggested for this, including illicit relationships and the deterioration of living conditions in the country.
The organisation said that 14 babies were abandoned in areas controlled by the Assad regime and 16 were abandoned in the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces in the north and east of the country. Three cases were documented in the areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in north-west Syria.
According to Syrians for Truth and Justice, more than 100 new-born babies were found in 2021 and 2022 in different regions across Syria. It is likely that the number was much greater and that this figure does not reflect the magnitude of the crisis. Prior to the war breaking out in 2011, very few babies were abandoned in the country.
The regime's Interior Ministry in Damascus has published details of babies being found in a garden in Aleppo, for example. Another was found thrown in a wheat field in Hama, and yet another was found abandoned in a well in Homs. It is a heartbreaking scenario.
Poverty is regarded as the main reason for abandoning new-born babies in Syria. The UN estimates that more than 90 per cent of the Syrian people live under the extreme poverty line, and face incredibly high prices and deteriorating public services.
The Syrian pound continues to collapse against the US dollar. According to today's exchange rate, there are 9,000 Syrian pounds to the dollar. The average monthly wage is around 125,000 Syrian pounds, equivalent to $14.
Source: Middle East Monitor under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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