Violence In Syria 'Kills 34' Children Since Cease-Fire

Violence in Syria 'kills 34' children since cease-fire < br /> 2012-05-02 17:42:00 GMT+7 (ICT) NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- More than 34 children are believed to have died in Syria as a result of violence since a cease-fire between government forces and rebels was agreed to in mid-April, the United Nations (UN) said on late Tuesday.Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, called on all parties involved in the conflict to ensure the protection of children. "Reports indicate that two children were killed on Tuesday in a mortar attack," she said. "In recent days, at least one child was killed during anti-Government protests, and the dead body of a girl was retrieved from the rubble of a collapsed house in Hama."The Syrian government and rebels agreed to cease all fighting on April 12, but violence has continued and Syrian government forces have failed to withdraw from residential areas, despite the deployment of UN ceasefire monitors. The UN believes more than 34 children have died as a result of violence since April 12."I urge all parties in Syria to refrain from indiscriminate tactics resulting in the killing and wounding of children," Coomaraswamy said, nothing that recent suicide bombings in Damascus and Idlib resulted in child casualties. "It is the responsibility and humanitarian imperative of all parties to protect and prevent unnecessary suffering of girls and boys."Over 9,000 lives have been lost since March 2011 when a protest movement similar to those witnessed across the Middle East and North Africa began in Syria. Most of the casualties have been civilians and the figure includes hundreds of children. In addition, at least 230,000 people have been displaced and, in total, an estimated one million people are in need of relief.

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