The Syrian war, raging since 2011, has claimed countless victims and upended the lives of millions. Children with disabilities have faced heightened risks during attacks. The critical services they need – assistive devices, education, health care, and psychosocial support – are not available, or have been disrupted by the conflict. They have lost years of schooling and face discrimination and stigma in their communities. Bullying is common.

Human Rights Watch interviewed six children with disabilities and 22 parents and family members in Syria between October 2020 and June 2022. Most of the children interviewed were born shortly before or during the conflict. Their lives have been overwhelmingly shaped by armed conflict and violence, displacement, poverty, and the degradation of essential and other services that have characterized it.

In facing these difficulties, families have taken enormous steps to keep their children safe and to support them. The children and their families are determined to build a future where disability rights are ensured and where they have access to health care, assistive devices, inclusive education, and psychosocial support. These are some of their stories.