At least 384 children have been killed during Syria’s ten-month uprising and virtually the same number have been jailed, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
“As of Jan. 7, 384 children have been killed, most are boys. Some 380 children have been detained, some less than 14 years old,” Rima Salah, acting UNICEF deputy executive director, was quoted by AFP as having told reporters in Geneva.
She said that UNICEF is concerned about the situation in Syria, which has a legal obligation to protect children and uphold their rights.
“Our office there is functioning well, we have a dialogue all the time with the government and civil society,” Salah added.
The report noted that the previous death toll for children in Syria was 307, according to a statement by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay on December 2.
On Wednesday, Pillay said the United Nations has stopped compiling a death toll in Syria’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters because it is too difficult to get information.
Pillay, who in December said the death toll in the Syria crackdown stood at 5,000, told reporters the number has risen since them but added, “We are experiencing difficulties because of the fragmentation on the ground.
Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said on Thursday that the League’s peace plan, which aims to end Syria's political crisis, will be submitted to the United Nations Security Council early next week.
Elaraby told reporters in Cairo on Thursday that the meeting with UN officials will be held on Monday in New York.
The League’s plan, which was agreed upon on Sunday, instructs President Bashar Al-Assad to delegate powers to his vice president following the formation of a national unity government.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)