Children affected by quakes to fall prey to gangs, organ mafia – NGOs
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In the aftermath of the earthquakes that hit Syria and Turkey on Feb., various civil society organizations raised concern that children who had been separated from their parents could fall prey to gangs, abusers or organ mafias.
The number of children who were killed and those who were orphaned are “going to keep on rising,” al-Monitor warned, citing United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder warned recently.
At dawn on Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit both countries, killing tens of thousands and injuring many more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
A day after the earthquakes, several social media users posted photos of children they said were saved from under rubble but could not be located by their parents.
Al-Monitor said, citing the Turkish Minister of Family and Social Affairs Derya Yanik urged users not to share photos of or detailed information about the children because this puts them at risk of kidnapping.
Photos of rescued children have led to adoption requests from around the world, as “more than 200.000 people applied to adopt or foster children who have become orphans in the earthquake,” Yanik said.
Last week, after footage went viral of a baby girl rescued from the rubble near Afrin, northwest Syria, thousands of people from around the world asked how they could adopt her.
Later, after rumors about kidnapping the baby, she was moved to a “safe location” to protect her from possible kidnapping and adoption fraud, al-Monitor added, citing the BBC.
“Currently, we cannot give our earthquake victim children to those who want to be foster families, as these children are traumatized,” the Turkish minister said.
On Feb. 14, the UN expressed concern that more than seven million children are harmed by the earthquake in both countries.
Elder told reporters in Geneva, “In Turkey, the total number of children living in the 10 provinces hit by the two earthquakes was 4.6 million children. In Syria, 2.5 million children are affected.”
In addition, the UNICEF warned that thousands, if not millions, of children in Syria and Turkey are at risk of hypothermia and respiratory infections after the earthquake.