Why are children so badly affected in Syria?

About half of the nearly five million refugees who have fled Syria are children. But eight million children remain in the war-torn country, according to Unicef. In eastern Aleppo, Save the Children estimates about 40% of the besieged population are children. While this means the recent casualty numbers it reported appear to be roughly proportionate with the population, it is out of step with what should be happening in a war zone. In war, you should expect to see a much higher population of adult males being killed in frontline action, Ms Anning says. "But what we have seen in Aleppo in the last couple of days is totally indiscriminate bombing from the air," she says. "So children are impacted just as much or more than adults in those situations." These tactics, combined with a continued siege preventing anyone from leaving the area, has created one of the worst situations for Syrian children in more than five years of war.