Summary
The article discusses the role of a global charity, SOS Children's Villages International, in the disappearance of children during Syria's civil war under the Assad regime. Thousands of children went missing, and changes to their records made them difficult to find. The charity allegedly took children at the request of the Syrian government, with involvement from the Assad family.
Key Facts
- Thousands of children went missing in Syria during the civil war under Assad's rule.
- SOS Children's Villages International is accused of holding children whose parents were detained in Syria.
- The charity allegedly did not verify who would care for the children sent back to the government.
- Many children's identities were changed, making them hard to trace.
- The Assad family reportedly had influence in senior positions within SOS in Syria.
- An internal review found SOS took in 140 undocumented children between 2013 and 2018.
- SOS claims it stopped receiving children of political detainees in 2018, but documents suggest transfers continued until 2022.
- The charity denies offering financial rewards for increasing the number of orphans.
