At least 1.7 million vulnerable children in Syria 'directly affected' by earthquake

Unicef says they are among 4.4 million people who have been effectively stranded in the area for years due to the country's civil war

Members of the White Helmets clear the rubble in Salqin village, Syria, near the border with Turkey. AFP

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At least 1.7 million children living in north-west Syria have been directly affected by the earthquake that rocked the area and neighbouring Turkey this week, Unicef has said.

They are among 4.4 million people who have been “stranded” in the area for the past several years due to the country’s civil war, said Carmen Monclus, Unicef's child protection specialist based in Turkey.

The UN child charity had already established a solid operation on Syria's side of the border, said Ms Monclus.

“We already had a very, very vulnerable population,” she told BBC Radio 4 on Friday.

“Just to give you a sense, there are 4.4 million people who have been kind of stranded in north-west Syria for the last years already. Out of this number, we knew we had 2.3 million children in those circumstances, which is a very significant number.

“Now, out of all these children, how many have been directly impacted? This is something we are not able to respond with conclusive figures yet.

“But we can certainly assert that at least 1.7 million of those children have been directly impacted, which is a very high number.”

She said family separations should be prevented “at all costs” and revealed that the organisation was offering mental health and psychosocial support following the powerful earthquake.

Unicef has built up a strong network of partners in the area during its time there.

“However, we need to understand our partners themselves, as well, are also an affected population and they are also having to look after their own families,” said Ms Monclus.

Dr Lynne Jones, a child psychiatrist and relief worker, has worked with young people in similar earthquake disaster zones, such as in Haiti.

Attending to their basic needs is of paramount importance, she said.

“And obviously doing that in a way that keeps them connected to somebody who can provide love and security is also a basic need,” she told Radio 4.

Supporting children through bereavement has to be approached differently, depending on their age.

“The first thing to say is there is no one way to grieve,” she said. “But it’s going to vary enormously depending on the child’s age, their temperament, who has been lost, the nature of the loss, these kind of things. So, understanding the approach will vary. And then approaching it in a developmentally sensitive way.”

The youngest children, under the age of two, will be upset, as in any separation, and require constant loving care.

Efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria continue — in pictures

Those aged between three and five have more understanding. But do not always grasp that death is permanent, she said.

“So, you are going to explain it to them and they will ask again, you are going to explain and they will ask again. They may even think they are somehow magically responsible and that has to be addressed,” she said.

Sometimes parents or surviving relatives lie to comfort the child. But in the end there is no way around the truth, she said.

In Haiti, she worked with a five year old who survived nine days under the rubble before he was rescued. Of his family, only his uncle and two brothers had survived. He lost both parents and lay next to his dead mother under the rubble.

The world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000 — in pictures

“His uncle’s first response was to say 'your mother is in hospital',” said Dr Jones.

“You have got to tell the truth in a simple way that the child understands. You may have to do it repeatedly. And you can answer their questions honestly.

“And you give them as much information as they want. But you don’t ... push them to talk if they don’t want to but [must be] able to listen if they do. Those are really key recommendations.”