‘Children as young as five said they’d seen people having their heads chopped off’

A WELSH aid worker is helping make sure the voices of the most vulnerable victims of Syria’s civil war are heard.

Amid the bloody carnage of the conflict, Alun McDonald has been interviewing children caught up in the chaos.

And, based on those interviews, the Save the Children worker, from Cardiff, has written a major report on behalf of the charity which reveals a mental health crisis among children trapped in Syria, as the war passes its grim sixth anniversary since it first erupted.

More than 450 adults and children aged five to 16 were interviewed for the report called “Invisible Wounds” which is the largest study of its kind conducted during the course of the conflict.

It found widespread evidence of “toxic stress” and mental health issues among children inside Syria, as experts warn the psychological damage could be irreversible.

Mr McDonald, 36, was among aid workers who spoke to children aged five to 16 inside Syria via Skype and WhatsApp from neighbouring Jordan.

The Save the Children programme support officer said he felt frustrated that he was unable to do more for the terrified children he spoke to.

Syrian mental health and aid workers inside the war-torn country also carried out face-to-face interviews.

Speaking to people across seven areas of Syria, they found that many children are living in an almost constant state of fear, terrified by shelling, airstrikes and ongoing violence, with devastating psychological consequences.

With adults themselves highly stressed and struggling to cope, one in four children interviewed said they rarely or never have a place to go or someone to talk to when they are scared, sad or upset.

Former Llanishen High and Coleg Glan Hafren student Mr McDonald, who has been in Jordan since 2015, said children described witnessing horrific violence but still wanted the same things as children living in peace – to go to school, have friends and grow up.

“It is really heartbreaking. They have gone through things I cannot imagine and to see and hear them so scared and not be able to do anything about it is frustrating,” he said.

“Bombs are falling and they see fighting. We spoke to people who had fled ISIS who had witnessed executions.

“Children as young as five or six said they had seen people having their heads chopped off.

“One child I spoke to because of what he saw.

“He has constant nightmares and is unable to concentrate.” But the aid worker said there was hope. “It was incredible to talk to children who went through all this and were still excited about going to school and want to become footballers or teachers.

“In many ways they are like kids back home. They want the same things.”

When he asked them what would make them feel safe, children’s answers ranged from the heartbreaking – such as a youngster saying they wanted their dead father still can’t sleep back – to the everyday things Welsh children take for granted, such as having a football or a phone.

“What is clear is every day the fighting goes on it gets worse.

“Psychologists warn about the future effects of everything from depression to heart disease. “The bombing and shelling needs to stop.” The report found 84% of adults and almost all children believe ongoing bombing and shelling is the number one cause of psychological stress in children’s daily lives.

Half of the children spoken to said they never or rarely feel safe at school and 40% say they don’t feel safe to play outside, even right outside their own home.

Nearly nine in 10 adults reported children’s behaviour has become more fearful and nervous as the war goes on and 71% said that children increasingly suffer from frequent bed wetting and involuntary urination.

“Experts say we are reaching a crisis point; if the war does not end soon and children don’t receive the psychological support they need, it will be damage when th document warns.

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