Toronto, August 25, 2016…Patricia Erb, President & CEO of Save the Children says, “One week after the picture of the dazed and bloodied 5-year-old boy Omran Daqneesh shocked the world, we have yet to see any progress towards a ceasefire in Aleppo. In that week, dozens of children are estimated to have been killed in Syria and many more injured.
“The situation is growing more desperate in Aleppo by the day, with aid workers reporting severe shortages of fuel for ambulances and hospital generators, fresh food and drinking water. Children who have been injured in airstrikes and shelling – often experiencing complex head injuries and severe burns – cannot be removed for medical treatment. And yet the world does nothing.
“Syria’s children do not need empty promises – they need immediate action to protect them and their families. A 48-hour ceasefire is the first step towards doing that in Aleppo. But across the country, from Homs to Madaya, aid access to besieged areas has been closed off again. Heavy fighting and airstrikes are making children’s lives a living nightmare. Save the Children is calling for weekly safe access for humanitarian convoys to besieged areas and immediate medical evacuation for people who need urgent treatment.”
