Videos uploaded to the Internet in recent days show the cruelty of the faltering regime of Bashar Assad toward children.

One video, from the city of Douma, shows a military force arresting a local youth, interrogating and beating him.

A second video also shows a youth being arrested in a Damascus suburb. They are led by members of the "Shabiha," or "ghosts" – as black-clothed thugs helping Assad quash the rebellion are known. The youth is seen asking why he is being arrested.

In Homs, where 500 were killed this week, video shows panicked children in a shelter. "These are the tanks," one of the older women in the shelter tries to tell them.

The cameraman can be heard saying: "From this shelter we call for the help of the nations of the world, and the Arab countries especially. Stand by our nation, which has been calling for your help for over 10 months."

Channel 2 television explained that opposition forces in Syria are attempting to enlist the world's sympathy by stressing the plight of children under Assad's crackdown. About 400 children and youths have reportedly been killed in the bloody clashes.