7 years of war have taken a high toll on Syria's children

BEIRUT – After seven years of war in Syria, the United Nations has one thing to say: Stop the war on children.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Of Syria's estimated 10 million children, 8.6 million are now in dire need of assistance, up from about half a million after the first year of war. Nearly 6 million children are displaced or living as refugees, and about 2.5 million are out of school. Over 3 million children are exposed to the hazards of unexploded ordinance and land mines, even in areas where the conflict has died down. Some 40 percent of those killed by land mines are children.

While the U.N. has verified about 2,500 children killed between 2014 and 2017, it says the actual numbers are far higher.