According to a new U.N. report, both government forces and rebel groups are using children as soldiers and even human shields in Syria’s long-running civil war. They also said that children have been the victims of “unspeakable” crimes, including sexual violence, kidnapping and even executions. There are even reports of children as young as 11 being imprisoned and subjected to horrific torture in government detention centers. Along with examining specific cases of crimes against children, the U.N. also provided a high-level look at the toll the country’s on-going civil war has taken on children: More than 10,000 children have been killed in the conflict; 3 million are displaced; and 2.26 million are out of school after 3,000 of the nation’s schools have been completely destroyed in the violence …
