SORGÜL ŞÊXO

Hasakah- Til Temir, also known as Tell Tamer, is a town in the Hasakah Canton of North and East Syria. The town has been under Turkish ground and air attacks for about four years. Education is also affected by these attacks. There are 128 schools in the town; however, only 76 schools, 66 primary schools, nine secondary schools and a high school, are open now. The primary schools have 4,004 students, the secondary schools have 329 students and the high school has 121 students.

16 schools are in the areas occupied by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions and most of these schools are used as military bases. 13 schools were severely damaged in Turkish airstrikes and they will remain closed until they are repaired. Internally displaced people have taken shelter in 23 schools. In the town, families have turned six houses into schools.

‘We have taken shelter in our children’s school’

Fatima Al-Alî is a displaced women living in a school in the town with her eight children since they were forcibly displaced from Menacîr village of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn). Speaking about the effects of the Turkish attacks on the education system and social life in the town, she said, “The Turkish attacks leave no safe place for us and for our children. Tayyip Erdoğan forced people to leave their houses. We have taken shelter in our children’s school.”

‘This is our country’

Fatima Al-Alî thinks Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdoğan is responsible for the attacks on North and East Syria.

‘Erdoğan says, ‘I came here to save the people’. I want to ask him who and what did you come to save? Did we tell you ‘come and save us?’ Do you have any relatives living in Syrian territory? Do your parents live here? Do you have a house here? This is our country, not yours. If you attack Kurdish people, we will definitely stand against you. The Autonomous Administration and our forces fight to protect our country against ISIS and terrorism. Who did you come here to save? You only displaced people.”

‘Our children have been affected psychologically’

Emphasizing that their children have been affected psychologically from the occupation and attacks that have been going on for about four years, Fatima Al-Alî called on the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to come to the region and see what the children have been going through. “Most of children have been deprived of education. The future of our children is at risk. Our children need a safe shelter and psychological support,” she said.

‘UNICEF must fulfill its obligations to children’

Fatima Al-Alî emphasized that displaced children have to live in camps, villages and schools and called on UNICEF to fulfill its obligations to displaced children.

“The invaders must leave our lands so that children can return to school. We need an educated generation. We do not want our children to grow up in these conditions. There are many writings on the walls of the school. There is a sign saying, ‘Hope for the Future’. Children should do sports and play football with their teachers at the gym of the school, not hang out the laundry. The writings do not reflect the reality of our children.”