Fate of 20,000 Children in NE Syria Camps Uncertain as Security Situation Deteriorates

AL-HASAKEH, Syria (Jan. 22, 2026)—About 20,000 children in displacement camps and in facilities referred to as “rehabilitation” centers in northeastern Syria are at heightened risk as fighting intensifies and the situation remains fluid, with limited clarity on the security conditions affecting children and families, Save the Children said.

Following recent escalations and reports of widespread disorder, the situation is rapidly evolving. Humanitarian access is increasingly constrained with limited clarity on the conditions inside the camps, raising serious concerns for the safety of children living in these settings. Save the Children has temporarily paused non-lifesaving activities in northeastern Syria, including most services for children in the camps./

About 30,000 people—mostly women and children—live in Al Hol and Roj camps, including about 8,500 foreign nationals from about 60 countries, who were displaced after the collapse of ISIS and the fall of Baghouz in March 2019.

Amid ongoing fighting and reports of a breakdown in the security inside and around the camps, Save the Children is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of children living there, as well as those who have been transferred to closed facilities referred to as “rehabilitation” centers. Access to verify children’s status and conditions of children in such settings remains extremely limited.

Rasha Muhrez, Save the Children Syria Country Director, said: “We are extremely alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating situation affecting children in the camps and in closed facilities. As insecurity grows and the situation becomes more chaotic, independent visibility over children’s safety and well-being becomes increasingly limited.

“Every hour without clear protection measures increases the risk of children being harmed, exploited, or coerced by armed actors. Children must never be treated as instruments of conflict or punished because of perceived family affiliation.

“Urgent, coordinated action is needed to protect children in these settings, including accelerated repatriation and reintegration, and independent civilian child-protection oversight through established UN mechanisms, with full respect for the best interests of the child.”

Al-Hol and Roj camps have, for years, been closed off to the rest of the world. The UN has repeatedly warned of violence and limited access to healthcare, education, and protection services. Children in these camps face severe, long-term harm from prolonged deprivation, insecurity, and lack of durable solutions.

Save the Children is calling on all parties with influence to uphold humanitarian and human rights obligations, protect civilians, including children, prevent further violence and ensure sustained humanitarian access. Now more than ever, all parties should urgently support repatriation and reintegration for third-country nationals and pathways for safe, rights-based solutions for Syrian and Iraqi children and families.

Save the Children has been working in Syria since 2012, reaching over five million people, including more than three million children across the country with emergency and life-saving interventions including child protection services, education, food security and livelihoods, water sanitation and hygiene, as well as health and nutrition.