The Life of a Syrian Teenager
What is it like to be a Syrian teenager right now?
What is happening in Syria?
This is not their conflict, yet children are the ones to suffer. Their families are being torn apart; they are traumatized by what they have seen; some of them have been out of school for years; they feel alienated and out of place living in refugee camps or host communities; many are working on farms or selling tea on the streets to help their families make ends meet. A sense of normality is lost.
Why Syrians are fleeing their homes:
- Violence: Since the Syrian civil war began, 320,000 people have been killed, including nearly 12,000 children. About 1.5 million people have been wounded or permanently. The war has become more deadly since foreign powers joined to conflict.
- Collapsed infrastructure: Within Syria, healthcare, education systems, and other infrastructure have been destroyed. The economy is shattered.
- Children's safety: Syrian children are the nation's hope for a better future. They have lost loved ones, suffered from injuries, missed years of schooling, and witnessed violence and brutality. Warring parties forcibly recruit children to serve as fighters, human shields, and in support roles.
Surveying Syrian Teens:
How do Americans teens have it so easy compared to Syrian teens?
How Syrian teens describe their lives:
Many teens said that before the civil wars in Syria they also had everything they wanted just like American teens. One of the Syrian teens said, "My life in Syria was really very nice, very beautiful", but that all changed once the wars started. To read more about what teens truly have to say about their everyday life, click on one of the links below.