Syria, A Mutilated Future - A focus on the persons injured by explosive weapons

London, 20th June 2016. To mark World Refugee Day, Handicap International is publishing Syria, A Mutilated Future, a new report highlighting the devastating impact of explosive weapons on Syrian refugees and internally displaced people.

Syria, A Mutilated Future is based on an analysis, conducted between June 2013 and December 2015, of the situation of 25,000 Handicap International beneficiaries, either displaced in Syria or refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. Shockingly, children represent 16% of people injured as a direct result of the crisis. 53% of injuries sustained are due to explosive weapons and 15% of these victims had to undergo amputations.

This devastating human toll, with a long-term impact on its victims, is worsened by the lack of access to health services. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 50% of public hospitals and health centres in Syria are either partially functioning or closed. The absence of appropriate medical services and the unmet rehabilitation needs of injured refugees have a serious impact on victims, including life-long pain, amputation, badly healed fractures, disability or even death.