Evidence has surfaced indicating that the Syrian dictatorship manipulated a global child welfare organization to erase the identities of countless children during the civil war. Reem al-Kari, along with many others, seeks answers about their missing children, who were declared missing amidst the upheaval.
Among 3,700 children who have vanished since 2013, many were taken to facilities managed by SOS Children's Villages International, an Austria-based charity that emphasized re-homing but often failed to return children to their families.
These children were frequently misclassified as orphans or their identities modified to hide their connections to detained parents. The implications extend beyond mere disappearance; they reflect a systematic effort by the Assad regime to use child welfare systems for political leverage.
An extensive investigation, collaborating with various journalistic entities, unveiled that SOS managed to foster children's care with little oversight, often under directives from the Assad regime. Recorded testimonies from former employees reveal a pattern of negligence, as SOS often admitted vulnerable children while disregarding the dangerous contexts from which they came.
Parents like Reem continue to search for answers, struggling against an opaque bureaucratic system that shows little regard for the families affected by these policies. Meanwhile, SOS Children's Villages has acknowledged some missteps but continues to face scrutiny over its conduct during the conflict and the ongoing struggles of families seeking to reconnect with their children.
As the investigation unfolds, the legacies of both war and aid present haunting challenges in reestablishing the ties severed by conflict.
