Syria's civil war has taken an "unspeakable" toll on the nation's children since it began in March 2011, with an estimated 10,000 dead and many more injured or missing, and both sides have committed "grave violations against children," asserts a new U.N. report published last week.
The international community must step up its efforts to bring the fighting to an end, and pressure the warring sides to heed U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon's call for them to "take, without delay, all measures to protect and uphold the rights of all children in Syria."
Covering the period from March 1, 2011, to Nov. 15, 2013, the U.N. investigation is the first to assess the impact of the nearly three-year old conflict on Syria's children. Its findings are grim.