Working Group | Lebanon
In light of the global humanitarian deterioration and the international silence regarding the ongoing violations in Gaza and Lebanon, the voices of the younger victims remain submerged. Children, the silent victims of this conflict, face a humanitarian suffering that cannot be overlooked. Amidst the destruction and displacement, these children live in endless nightmares, deprived of their right to childhood.
A continuous humanitarian tragedy as the pace of violence escalates, children in Gaza and Lebanon find themselves trapped in scenes of violence and destruction. They were deprived of the childhood they deserve, and fear and violence became a part of their daily lives. Hala, a Palestinian girl displaced by force from the Yarmouk camp in Syria to Lebanon, represents a model of this suffering.
Hala says: “I was six years old when we were displaced from Syria.” The sounds of the explosions made our hearts tremble. I was crying with every explosion, and my mother was holding me, but nothing calmed my fear. Today, Hala is facing a new nightmare in Lebanon, where she lives under the threat of planes. “I hide my fear when the planes break the sound barrier, so that no one reminds me of the children of Gaza under bombardment,” says Hala, trying to appear strong.
Where is humanity? Hala, who carries a lot of pain and fear in her heart, wonders: “Where are those who talk about children’s rights?” Why are they silent now? This international silence makes the suffering of these children more severe, while they wait for their voices to be heard in a world that turns a blind eye to their plight.
As the conflict continues, the stories of these children remain told in the shade , waiting for someone to hear them in an international community that seems to have forgotten the standards of humanity.