Over two million children in Syria not attending school: UN

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, the United Nations published its 2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Syria, which warned that over 2 million boys and girls in the embattled nation are currently not attending school.

The report underlines the scale of humanitarian needs in the war-torn country suffering from an ongoing civil war since 2011.

The overview is a reminder that the crisis is far from over for millions of people in Syria, who have lived through eight years of crisis, said the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a press conference.

“11.7 million people remain in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, including food and livelihood assistance, health care, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene support,” he said.

The spokesperson noted that the national population at large does not have access to basic resources and more than eight in ten people live below the poverty line.

He also mentioned that displacement continues to be a defining feature of the crisis, with an estimated 6.2 million people who are internally displaced. Last year, he said, saw a 16 percent increase "in the number of displaced people living in last resorts sites."

“More than 5.6 million people remain displaced across the borders and in neighbouring countries,” Dujarric continued.

“In 2018, the UN and humanitarian partners reached 5.5 million people each month on average with humanitarian assistance," he said, appealing "for continued donor support to support the critical life-saving, protection and livelihood needs of over 11 million people.” 

Editing by John J. Catherine