9 years into Syria's war, the children in these 9 pictures have never known peace

Ranim Barakat, a nine-year-old displaced Syrian girl from Hama countryside, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp, near the Turkish border. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/AP

Ranim Barakat, a nine-year-old displaced Syrian girl from Hama countryside, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp, near the Turkish border. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/AP

Published Jun 20, 2020

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Atmeh Camp, Syria - Four-month-old Abdul

Rahman, propped up on pillows on a blue blanket in his family's

tent. Two-year-old Walid, striking a boxer's pose in the centre

of the mat.

Nine-year-old Ranim, who has never known peace, her bare

feet poking out from beneath an embroidered red dress.

Nine photos of child refugees for nine years of war.

Reuters assigned Syrian photographer Khalil Ashawi to

illustrate World Refugee Day, which is on Saturday.

He went to the Atmeh camp for displaced people on the

Syrian-Turkish border, where families have been sheltering since

2011 from a conflict that has made half of Syrians homeless.

Abdul Rahman al-Fares, a 4-month-old displaced Syrian baby from south Idlib countryside at Atmeh camp, near the Turkish border. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

He illustrated each of the war's nine years with a simple

picture: a refugee child born in that year. Each poses in a

tent, each alone, apart from eight-year-old Jumana and her twin

brother Farhan.

Walid al-Khaled, a two-year-old displaced Syrian child from Aleppo city, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Mahmoud al-Basha, a three-year-old displaced child, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp, Syria. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

"Every kid represents a year in the uprising. Every kid

narrates a story and they each have their unique story of the

war," Ashawi explained. "These kids don't know the meaning of a

home, some don't know or have forgotten that a house has a wall

and a door."

Mariam al-Mohamad, a four-year-old displaced child from Homs city, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

For those children old enough to talk, Ashawi asked each the

same question: what is home?

Maysaa Mahmoud, a five-year-old displaced child from Homs countryside, poses for a picture at Atmeh camp. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Six-year-old Rawan, in a patterned dress, said she still

remembers her house "built in the old fashioned way" in south

Idlib.

Rawan al-Aziz, a six-year-old displaced Syrian child, from the Southern Idlib countryside, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp, near the Turkish border with Syria. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

"A house for me is a place where my friends and family are.

I brought my toys with me but it's not nice here at all," she

said. "A tent is not a house, because it might catch fire and it

might fly with the wind."

Mohamed Abdallah, a 7-year-old displaced Syrian boy from Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib's southern countryside, poses for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Jumana and Farhan al-Alyawi, 8-year-old displaced twins from east Idlib, pose for a picture in a tent at Atmeh camp, near the Turkish border. Picture: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Reuters

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