Reem al-Kari and her cousin Lama are searching through dozens of photos of children spread out on a desk. Lama thinks she spots one with a likeness to Karim, Reem's missing son. Karim, who was two-and-a-half when he disappeared in 2013 during Syria's civil war, is one of over 3,700 children still missing.
At a Syrian children’s shelter connected to SOS Children’s Villages, the task of tracing lost identities amidst the chaos of the regime is overwhelming. Families are desperate to find their children, many of whom were placed in orphanages by the Assad regime under false pretenses.
New investigations have revealed that SOS Children’s Villages International, a prominent charity operating in Syria, allegedly played a role in missing children's identities being obscured. Whistleblowers claim the charity, headquartered in Austria, was influenced by the Assad regime to admit more children, potentially to secure funding.
All of these allegations come as families like Reem's continue searching amidst a murky system of bureaucratic neglect and fear, where the paths to locate their lost children remain dire and fraught.
According to recovered documents and witness accounts, SOS Children’s Villages may have mishandled the care of children who were forcibly separated from their families during the war. Some parents reported being denied access to their children and told that visits were forbidden, making reunification challenging.
Despite SOS International committing to investigate the troubling claims, many parents, including Reem, find themselves navigating an emotional and bureaucratic labyrinth without the answers they seek.
As Syria grapples with its past, the stories of missing children are not just numbers but real lives turned upside down as families search for closure and truth.
