BY: Joseph Mary Buwule
SYRIA, 18 June 2026 – Almost two million children have returned to their hometowns in Syria over the past 18 months, marking what aid agencies describe as the largest voluntary movement of returnees globally. However, humanitarian conditions on the ground remain extremely fragile, with widespread destruction, collapsed basic services, and dangerous contamination from explosive remnants of war.
According to Save the Children, many returning families are arriving in communities that are still uninhabitable, raising concerns that the scale of return is creating a false perception that conditions are safe following the formal end of 14 years of conflict in December 2024.
Ahead of World Refugee Day, the organisation warned that pressure is mounting on displaced Syrians to return despite ongoing risks.
Figures from the UNHCR show that since Syria’s political transition on 8 December 2024, more than 1.6 million refugees have returned, including an estimated 953,000 children. Save the Children further estimates that about 1.02 million internally displaced children have also returned to their areas of origin.
Despite this movement, the humanitarian crisis remains severe. Around 15.6 million people—nearly 70% of the population—still require assistance, including 7.5 million children. Essential infrastructure such as water systems, schools, hospitals, and electricity networks remains heavily damaged or non-functional.
A household survey conducted by Save the Children found that nearly two-thirds of families returned to homes that were damaged or destroyed, while many reported limited access to water and electricity. Three in four families said worsening economic conditions could force them to leave again, while nearly two-thirds cited security deterioration as a similar risk.
Children continue to face multiple protection threats, including unsafe school routes, school dropouts, and early marriage risks among adolescent girls. Children with disabilities are also disproportionately affected due to limited access to inclusive services.
The danger of unexploded ordnance remains particularly severe. According to NGO safety monitoring body INSO, children accounted for 37% of all civilian casualties from explosive remnants between December 2024 and December 2025, with many incidents occurring in farmland and everyday walking routes.
Only 57% of hospitals and 37% of primary health centres across Syria are fully functional, further limiting access to essential healthcare for returning families.
Twelve-year-old Lina*, who returned with her family, described finding her home and school destroyed, forcing them back to a displacement camp where they had lived for five years. “When we reached our village, our house and our school were both in rubble, and we could not stay, so we returned to the camp. We are not numbers. We are faces, dreams, and small but strong hearts,” she said.
Jeremy Stoner, Save the Children Syria Acting Country Director, said that while families are hopeful to rebuild their lives, conditions on the ground do not yet support safe or dignified return.
He warned that international law requires returns to be voluntary, safe, dignified, and informed, stressing that current conditions fall short of these standards. He also called for urgent investment in reconstruction, including clearance of explosive ordnance, restoration of essential services, and protection of civil documentation for returning children.
Save the Children has operated in Syria since 2012, reaching more than five million people, including over three million children, through education, protection, health, nutrition, and basic services programmes.