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with us or let us into the school. One Jordanian girl wouldn’t sit next to my sister because they
think she is ill. I don’t leave the home” (9-year-old girl). 288
In consultations in Syria in 2013, “Children identified school-aged peers with physical or
mental disabilities as the most marginalized from education.” 289 Discrimination by teachers
at school against disabled children in Northern Uganda was spoken of by a 12-year-old
boy: “When we [children with disabilities] are unable to participate in some of the school
activities due to our disabilities, like sports, teachers ask us to do something else like clean
the compound. Why should we have a punishment just because we are disabled?” 290
Schools are also identified by children as potential locations of sexual violence. In rural
Damascus “the stairway of a school is a vulnerable area.” 291
Health
In the conflict in Syria, children’s stated problems of healthcare included “unavailability of
medicines and specialized doctors, the lack of access to services, differential treatment in
service provision, and the poor environment that is increasing health and hygiene related
issues.” 292 Children distinguished between services in different levels of conflict: “According
to child participants, healthcare services vary between being extremely inadequate and
unavailable in areas of high conflict and besieged areas, while being relatively available but
expensive in low conflict areas. The price of medicine has increased in all areas. In multiple
communities, children reported that pharmacies and the administration of collective
shelters monopolize available medicines and sell them for higher profit on the black
market and they noted lack of doctors as well as lack of medication.” 293
Displaced children from Syria said their health was affected by conditions in shelters,
particularly girls. For example, children said that fear of using bathroom had resulted in
bladder problems, diarrhea, urinary tract infections and other health issues, especially
for girls. 294 Children cited problems such as lack of clean water, accumulation of rubbish,
spread of insects and dust pollution as contributing to spread of disease and illness. 295
Meanwhile, “children from the host community or with higher socioeconomic status are
perceived as receiving preferential treatment and more access to healthcare.” 296
Health problems were recognized by children as interconnected with other aspects of
the emergency, such as fear and stress. In Syria, “(I)n all areas assessed, children report an
awareness that regular feelings of fear, stress, sadness, and hopelessness can contribute to
the prevalence of physical illnesses such as frequent vomiting, stomach problems, anxiety,
sleeplessness and organ failure.” 297
Discrimination
Apart from the problems of discrimination experienced by some displaced and refugee
children at school, some children identified discrimination in the community.