Traumatised and out of school, the child victims of the Battle of Mosul

Exhausted children sat looking dazed in the sun at a roadside as desperate families were told the聽camp was full聽and they would have to go to another one around 25 miles away.

They were on the outskirts of Mosul, the devastated Iraqi city where Islamic State is fighting Iraqi forces.

They had managed to escape the carnage in the west of the city and carried plastic bags with the few possessions they国产视频檇 manage to bring.聽

They wanted to go to a聽camp for IDPs (internally displaced persons)聽in Kurdish-controlled territory called Al Khazer but it was full due to thousands of new incomers arriving from Mosul.

Among the IDPs at the roadside were four young children from one family聽–聽including a girl called Saad, who was wearing a white dress with a red pattern.聽

She told us her mother 国产视频渄ied of burning国产视频�. Her father聽Nassatt聽appeared shortly afterwards and explained that his wife Jinan died after an airstrike in west Mosul two weeks ago.

Nassatt has six children to look after now 国产视频� two were with his brother, four were with him.聽

We asked what conditions were like in west Mosul.

国产视频淯nfortunately it国产视频檚 very badly damaged,国产视频� he replied. 国产视频淓verything is damaged as you see on the TV, destroyed houses and homes国产视频t国产视频檚 a very, very difficult situation right now and people are trying to escape any way.国产视频澛�

As a bus arrived to take people to another camp, we wished him good luck. Nassatt smiled and said: 国产视频淚nshallah.国产视频� God willing.

The Battle of Mosul has been raging for six months now and it could be many more months before ISIL is finally defeated.

Meanwhile, the future remains grim for the children of Mosul who have suffered greatly under ISIL rule in the city since 2014.

Many of them聽have been traumatised after witnessing horrific acts by the terror group and tens of thousands have been denied education.

At this juncture, tens of thousands of children trapped in west Mosul will continue to miss out on schooling.

Some schools in the east of Mosul have reopened but the security situation remains dangerous due to ISIL聽sleeper cells who have shaved off their beards and hidden among the population.

There国产视频檚 also the problem of unexploded bombs, snipers and booby traps – but the Iraqis are trying to return to some sort of normality.聽

Elsewhere, the authorities are doing their utmost to provide schooling for IDPs.

Save the Children has been helping thousands of Iraqi children in the region and explained the impact of the Battle of Mosul so far.

Bhanu Bhatnagar of Save The Children said: 国产视频淪ince the offensive began in west Mosul in mid-February, we国产视频檝e seen the fiercest fighting in the city so far and a surge in displacement.聽

“According to government聽figures, nearly 275,000 people have been displaced from western Mosul so far and more are anticipated as the fighting reaches the densely populated Old City.聽

国产视频淣ewly displaced families are in significantly worse physical and psychosocial conditions that previously seen.聽

“Many of these children have not been able to attend school for over three years and families are desperate to get their children back into school.” 聽 He added that Save the Children is working with families in Hammam al Alil and other camps around Ninewa.

国产视频淚n Hammam al Alil, we are聽providing education for children, with more than 1600 children attending our TLSs (temporary learning centres)聽in the past week and registration ongoing,国产视频� he said.

国产视频淲e provide education in emergencies as well as teaching and learning materials such as student kits, whiteboards, and markers. We国产视频檝e also supported ‘school-in-a-box’ sets for formal schools in Hammam al Alil.国产视频�

Since the start of military operations against ISIL in August 2016, more than 90,000 people have fled the town of Hawija.

Many desperate families from the city have taken enormous risks to flee, escaping through minefields and snipers and arriving thirsty, hungry and in need of aid.聽

As military operations have intensified, many have gone to Kirkuk where Save the Children educates children.

They include a woman called Ghada. She and her five children are among more than 2000 families sheltering in Daquq camp, near Kirkuk.聽

Ghada has four daughters and a son and they fled Hawija leaving her husband Fadi behind.

Ghada国产视频檚 eight-year-old聽daughter Warda聽was watching a television when an air strike suddenly hit the house.聽

Warda国产视频檚 two elder sisters and three other people died in that attack. Warda survived but, after losing her two sisters, has been experiencing psychological distress and no longer wants to go to school. She is now receiving psychological support.

Her mother Ghada said Warda was in grade one before they fled to Kirkuk聽and that she and her big sisters did very well in school.聽

Now she doesn国产视频檛 want to go to school, although her psychologist said that she will go when she is ready.聽

Ghada said: 国产视频淏oth Warda and Amir go to the CFS (child friendly space). I have noticed a huge positive change in my daughter –聽she is now a happy child and dreams of being a teacher in the CFS. I聽too聽hope to also see a psychologist after witnessing the positive change in my daughter.国产视频�

The child friendly spaces at Daquq camp were set up to provide children with safe environments so they can play, socialise and learn.

Save the Children says it plans to put up another CFS within the same camp to accommodate more children.

Meanwhile in Mosul, at least 320 schools have reopened in the east allowing over 258,000 children to get back to learning.

国产视频淭hese neighbourhoods were gripped by violence,国产视频� said Peter Hawkins of UNICEF聽Iraq.聽

国产视频淭oday聽girls and boys are heading back to class. After the nightmare of the past two years, this is a pivotal moment for the children of Mosul to reclaim their education and their hope for a better future.国产视频澛�

In the west of the city, however, tens of thousands of terrified children remain trapped as the Battle of Mosul continues.

Save The Children detailed its current education projects in IDP camps.

Ninewa Field Office

Jad’ah camp

• 415 new children (164 girls,聽251 boys) 聽has been registered in the Temporary Learning Space (TLS).
• 1988 children have attended the TLS activities incorporated with psychosocial support.
• Education and MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning)聽team have conducted the first round of Quality Learning Environment (QLE) assessment.
• Two new Temporary Learning Spaces have been opened in Jada 2 camp.
• Five education facilitators have been trained on management training conduct by CP (child protection)聽team. 聽

Airstrip camp

• 815 new children (381 girls,聽424 boys) have been registered in the TLS.
• 2066 children (894 girls,聽1218 boys) have attended TLS activities incorporated with psychosocial support.
• Education and MEAL聽teams conducted the first round of QLE聽assessment.
• Four education facilitators have been trained on CFS management training conduct by CP team. 聽

Haj Ali camp

• 1348 new children (673 girls,聽675 boys) have been registered in TLS.聽
• 931 children (412 girls /519 boys) have attended TLS activities incorporated with psychosocial support.
• Three education facilitators聽have been trained on CFS management training conducted by CP team.聽

Hamam Alil camp

• 1506 new children (848 girls, 658 boys) 聽has been registered in the TLS.
• 2774 children (1525 girls, 1252 boys) have attended the TLS activities incorporated with psychosocial support.
• Five education facilitators聽have been trained on CFS management training conduct by CP team.

Kirkuk Field Office

• 3701 children enrolled in the CFS/TLS聽(2050 girls,聽1653 boys).
• Recruitment process for 13 facilitators completed and registration process for five Non-Formal Education (NFE) centres ongoing.
• Bill of Quantity (BoQ) of rehabilitation for聽three formal schools聽
• 1064 children enrolled in the CFS/TLS in Yahyawa camp (525 girls,聽539 boys).

Salah Al Din Office

• Perform three days of training for 20 teachers in Samarra to run the remedial classes.
• Transferring 250 desks from Tikrit to the 10 prefabs in Samarra.
• Activities targeted 318 children in AL Shahamah camp.