Many Children Reportedly Victims of Violence

A recent survey by an official body showed that a large proportion of children in Syria were victims of various forms of physical and moral violence, an October 10 article in the pro-government magazine Black and White reported.



The survey conducted by the Syrian Committee for Family Affairs showed that around 83 per cent of the 4,000 children interviewed were subjected to physical violence.



The magazine did not give the age range of the sample nor how the survey was conducted.



More than half of those children had been slapped, pulled by the ear, hit on the soles of the feet or kicked several times.



The study revealed that it was mainly the children’s parents who practiced violence against them starting with fathers, then brothers and mothers. Some teachers also adopted violent attitudes towards their students.



At least 46 per cent suffered from marks on their bodies and 18 per cent had been wounded and more than a third had bruises or swelling as a consequence of physical violence, the survey said.



It added that 83 per cent of the children were first subjected to violence at an early age.



Also, more than a quarter of the children surveyed were victims of sexual harassment, the study said.



Some children suffered from verbal abuse, being occasionally severely scolded, cursed or treated with contempt and disdain, it added.