Syria Crisis: What of it's Children?
Children chant slogans and wave Syrian independence flags during a protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Khalidieh, near Homs REUTERS/StringerREUTERS/String

Amidst the raging violence on the streets of Homs, Syrians took to the polls Sunday, as part of efforts to end the one-party rule that drove the nation to the verge of a civil war.

President Bashar al-Assad's genocidal war has claimed the lives of over 9,000 of his own people, CNN has reported. The main victims, however, are the children, as in any other war.

Several documentary footages released by opposition forces claim evidence of crimes against humanity apparently committed by the dictatorial leader. Earlier, CNN carried a particularly heartbreaking story of a father mourning the loss of his 2-year old son, clinging desperately to the body of the child as he swears revenge.

Possibly the most horrifying video appears to be the case of multiple murders - one in which the bodies of several dead children, some as young as a couple of months, are laid down in a line.

In another case, a 10-month-old infant and a seven-year old child were lined up with their families only to be gunned down by a government firing squad in the village of Halfiya in Hama province, as reported by the Mirror.

Such documentary evidences of crimes on children have sparked outrage among the international community and calls have been made for ceasefire, for which Assad has paid no heed whatsoever.

According to the UNICEF, the number of children being killed in Syria continues to escalate to a high level despite international appeals for an end to the bloodshed.

It is deeply disturbing to hear the pleas of Syrian families in need of help and to see the worsening suffering of children, Anthony Lake, UNICEF executive director, said in a press statement.

According to the AFP, the UNICEF said that around 400 children had been killed in the eleven-month uprising against Assad's regime. There are reports of children arbitrarily arrested, tortured and sexually abused while in detention, the agency reported.

As Homs continues to be bombarded, distressed civilians lying wounded in nearby hospitals are unable to receive adequate treatment. Children are among those who are dying for lack of medical supplies, the CNN said.

Up until a few days ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been trying to negotiate a temporary ceasefire in order to evacuate the wounded and also to deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn districts. So far, rescue troops have evacuated several wounded women and children from Homs and the Baba Amr district on Friday, the report said.

The latest reports reveal that the Red Cross has failed to strike a deal for another evacuation of those wounded in Homs. ICRC authorities said they will continue to negotiate for a ceasefire for life saving operations to be carried out.

As relief agencies can't get immediate access to besieged areas of Syria to help the wounded, and since the government refuses to halt its brutal crackdown on opposition forces, there will be further suffering for more children, Lake said.

We ask all involved to remember that the children bear no responsibility in the violence among their elders. They are quite simply, the victims of this tragedy, the executive director added.