Thousands of children work in deplorable conditions in makeshift oil refineries in Syria. These amateur refineries have sprung up due to the drastic decline in production by professional oil refineries in Syria. The conditions at these sites is causing enormous health and pollution problems in the region.
The PAX report Scorched Earth and Charred Lives documents the sharp increase of these refineries and the extent of the problems associated with them.
“The images I looked at in doing this study are horrible,” says report author Wim Zwijnenburg, researcher for PAX. “Children covered by second and third-degree burns, with oil still in the wounds. People covered from head to toe by a layer of black residue.”
