Iraqi Children from Mosul Speak of ISIS Crimes

Iraqi children have suffered the most under ISIS. Some of the refugee children, now based in al-Hawl Camp in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province after fleeing Mosul, talked about their suffering under ISIS. They have been deprived of their right to education, while ISIS imposed its own curriculum on the schools of Mosul during the past three years.

Khatab, an Iraqi refugee from Mosul currently based in al-Hawl Camp said, “We have escaped from Daesh [ISIS]. We have not gone to school since three years.”

The children of Mosul, who had the chance to reach al-Hawl Camp in northeastern Syria, demanded the camp’s administration to open a school for them in order to continue their education while waiting to return home.

“We hope the camp’s administration would open a school for us so that we could continue our education until we can return home someday,” Khatab said.

Raged, a 10-year-old Iraqi refugee from Mosul said, “Daesh [ISIS] forced us to wear a black dress. They have deprived us from our right to education. Many of us couldn’t be with their families anymore. My sick mother and my brother couldn’t come, they were left behind.”

“We escaped from ISIS. I came to the camp with my father and other family members. I want to go to school,” she said.

Children are the most vulnerable group affected by war conditions. Lacking basic rights and being exposed to traumatic events leave them with hard experiences that could have serious consequences on their growth even after the war.

Hindi Ahmed, another Iraqi refugee in Hasakah said, “Our children have lost their education for years due to ISIS invasion.”

“We have lived among monsters [ISIS]. Here, in the al-Hawl Camp, we are looking forward to have some safety and a school for our children,” he said, ARA News reported.