Emily Zelko - Children of the Arab Spring

A revolution is no place for a child. A majority of the Middle East’s population is under the age of 25 years old. The Arab spring movements, which began in 2011, caused chaos in areas where children, who can’t defend their rights as a human, are being targeted as victims. Surrounded by constant violence, innocent children are being caught in the crossfire, tortured or killed, and forced to become child soldiers. Children of the Arab Spring have been greatly impacted by the revolutions in a negative way, specifically in Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Syria.

Children in Bahrain are facing severe torture and detainment according to Amnesty International. In an intensified crackdown, security forces are targeting children in hopes to put an end to the protests. Arrested on suspicion of participating in riots, children as young as 13 are blindfolded, beaten and tortured until admitting to allegations. Human Rights Watch spoke with Sayed Alwadaei, who was only 17 years old when he was detained, tortured and threatened. Alwadaei initially denied the allegations he was charged with, but after numerous threats, he confessed. Alwadaei told Human Rights Watch “In this place, you have no choice. You confess to whatever they want you to.” Bahrain authorities are ignoring their obligations to providing children with protection from ill-treatment and to give all children special protection in detainment areas separate from adults. The revolutions in Bahrain have severely impacted children in a negative way, with no hopes of a better future.

The political disruption in the Middle East has affected the very young population. In Libya, children are suffering from symptoms of psychological damage including bed-wetting, aggression and stammering according to a report by Save the Children. Parents have even noticed their children holding up their fingers in the victory sign in their sleep. According to Humanium for Children’s Rights, many children witnessed such terrible events and were separated from their parents they are now subjected to psychological trauma. Since the revolution against the Libyan regime, “more than 61,000 students did not finish their school year due to the bombing destroying more than 15 schools and many other closing.” The revolution in Libya left children as victims of bombings and now there are several reports of accidental explosions and incidents of children detonating grenades. The International charity Mines Advisory Group, has recorded 90 casualties of mostly children involving mines and unexploded ordinance left over from the Libyan revolution.

Another Arab country facing casualties of children is Yemen. Yemen is in a very serious situation, the highest possible score on a ‘realization of Chilren’s Rights index’ according to Humanium for Children’s Rights. More than a quarter of children are not receiving an education in Yemen and the establishments that haven’t closed, due to being targets of threat by the armed groups, are in terrible condition. Children are being intimidated with guns being pointed at their schools, leaving children and their parents in fear, ultimately leading to parents keeping their children at home. Lack of education is isn’t the only negative effect the demonstrations of the Arab Spring have had on children. Many children are beaten and killed when outside of their own home, putting their health and security in danger with the constant violence. In Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, a ten-month-old baby was killed by a snipers bullet (Al-Samei). Snipers targeting children is common all over the Middle East, most frequently happening in Syria.

Snipers in Syria have recently been playing a “targeting game,” where heavily pregnant women are on the hit list. A photo that surfaced in October of 2013 shows an X-ray of a bullet lodged into the head of an unborn baby. The children removed from their mother’s womb were between seven and nine months gestation, meaning it was obvious for anybody to see that these women were pregnant. A surgeon, who worked in hospitals with Syria Relief, said that sniper wounds became suspiciously similar and he noticed a trend. Each day victims were showing up with wounds on either the left or right side of their groin, almost as if it was some game going on between the snipers, who would receive little presents, like cigarettes, for the people they had shot for the day (Shubert and Naik).

With Syria’s brutal war currently happening due to the 2011 uprisings, children in Syria are paying the heaviest price. Facing a real-life nightmare, children are suffering from psychological issues due to seeing their family members and friends killed or injured so frequently (Chelala). According to UNICEF, what’s at stake for children isn’t politics, it’s their future. As of March 15, marking the third anniversary of the Syrian Civil War, 5.5 million children have been affected by the conflict and over 10,000 have been killed. CNN states that Syria is the most dangerous place in the world for children currently and when they grow up and become the next generation are going to lack the skills needed to rebuild Syria due to the 3 million children out of school.

Aside from the everyday violence Syrian children are seeing on a daily basis, children have been subjected to extreme torture during this Civil War including electric shocks, sexual violence, cigarette burns, ripping out fingernails, sleep deprivation and solitary confinement (Smith, NBC News). In a report published by the United Nations, children as young as 11 years old are being kept by government forces in detention centers and subjected to extreme levels of torture, either to extract confessions or simply to humiliate them. Children are being used as human shields by the Syrian Armed Forces as an attempt to prevent rebel forces attacking. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes in a report released to the Security Council, “Armed opposition groups have been responsible for the recruitment and use of children both in combat and support roles, as well as for conducting military operations, leading to civilian casualties.” Children are being stripped of their childhood and rather than attending school like children should, are learning how to shoot guns and kill targets. Kate Adams, a London-based writer for charity War Child, writes “Children are being used almost as pawns of the war and not just as collateral damage.” The future does not look promising for Syrian children, and the 2011 uprisings are to blame for these devastating outcomes.

The children of the Arab Spring are being impacted by the revolutions in an extremely negative way. The children who are fortunate enough to survive are either being robbed of an education, recruited into becoming soldiers, tortured or are dealing with severe psychological issues. Due to the recent revolutions in Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Syria, children’s futures seem bleak.

Works Cited

Al-Samei, Mohammed. "Children Killed During Revolution." Yemen Times. Yemen Times, 11 Feb. 2013. Web.

Alster, Paul. "Child Soldier: Shocking Video Surfaces of Purported 4-year-old Jihadist in Syria." Fox News. FOX News Network, 03 Feb. 2014. Web.

"Bahrain: Abuse and Torture of Children." Amnesty International News. Amnesty International, 16 Dec. 2013. Web.

"Bahrain: Security Forces Detaining Children." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 15 Sept. 2013. Web.

Busuttil, Fany. "Children of the Middle East." Humanium for Childrens Rights. Humanium, 26 Apr. 2012. Web.

Davies, Catriona. "Libyan Children Pay High Price for Curiosity over Weapons." CNN. Cable News Network, 10 Jan. 2012. Web.

"First UN Report on Children in Syria’s Civil War Paints Picture of ‘unspeakable’ Horrors." UN News Center. UN, 02 Apr. 2014. Web.

Shubert, Atika, and Bharati Naik. "Syrian Snipers Target Pregnant Women." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Oct. 2013. Web.

Smith, Alexander. "Children Conscripted, Tortured and Executed in Syria War: Report - NBC News." NBC News. NBC News, 5 Feb. 2014. Web.

Tunis, S.J. "Children of the Revolution." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 21 June 2013. Web.

Yeboah, Jennifer. "Most Dangerous Place in the World for a Child." UNICEF. UNICEF United States Fund, 17 Mar. 2014. Web.