Deaths of Two Girls in Syria's Al Hol Camp Highlights Risks to Women and Children: Save the Children

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Nov. 15, 2022)—Two girls of Egyptian nationality, aged 12 and 15 years, were found dead on Monday in the Al Hol camp in North East Syria, Save the Children said, again highlighting the risks that women and children face daily in such conditions.

The child rights organization said the exact circumstances of the girls’ deaths has yet to be investigated, but stressed that all children in the Al Hol camp urgently require protection.

Beat Rohr, Interim Syria Response Director, said:

''This news is utterly heartbreaking. These two girls were trapped in the Al Hol camp through no fault of their own. Their death is a stark reminder that no child should grow up in these camps. We continue to urge all countries to repatriate children stuck in North East Syria as soon as possible.”

This latest tragedy brings the total number of people killed or found dead in Al Hol this year to over 30—most of them women—raising concerns over rising levels of attacks and violence against women and girls. Last year was the most violent year on record in the camp, where an average of more than two people were killed per week.

Since 2019, an estimated 1,400 children have been repatriated to their home countries from Al Hol and Roj, two camps housing people displaced in North East Syria since the collapse of the Islamic State (ISIS). But about 11,000 foreign children and women remain in the two camps where the risks to children have only become greater due to an outbreak of cholera and reports of increasing violence.

Save the Children has been working in Syria since 2012, reaching over five million people, including more than three million children across the country. The organization provides protection and support services in Al Hol, including child-friendly spaces. Save the Children also provides specialized case management support for children with particular needs as well as nutrition and education services.

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