*STRICTLY EMBARGOED 1.00pm SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER 2016*

War Child calls for robust action for children of Aleppo

War Child Global Ambassador Carey Mulligan joins Rally calling on UK government to act to endthe attacks on civilians in Aleppo

Today 22nd October 2016 Carey Mulligan, Global Ambassador for War Child UK – the only specialist charity for children affected by conflict, joined charities including Amnesty International UK, Doctors of the World UK, Syria Relief and hundreds of members of the public at a rally organised to put pressure on the UK government to act to end the suffering for the civilians trapped in Aleppo.

Since the recent breakdown of a fragile cease-fire, the city has been the focus of some of the most concerted and brutal attacks by the Syrian regime and its Russian backers.Schools and hospitals have been systematically targeted, and civilians’ water and electricity deliberately cut off.

Mulligan, along with hundreds of others,lay a teddy bear at the gates of Downing Street – one bear to represent each of the 191 children who have been killed in the city since the attacks started a month ago, killing more than 6 children in the city every day.

War Childis calling for a stronger response from the international community to the atrocities being committed in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria, where nearly one in 10 has been either killed or injured in the conflict[1] and about 10 million people have been displaced[2]. Repeated calls for a ceasefire are clearly not working so a clear signal must be sent to those who commit these atrocities that there will be consequences for their actions.

War Child Global Ambassador Carey Mulligan said“So my message to our government is this - Not only is Aleppo a tragedy, it is a line in the sand. And we’re here to call on the UK to grasp this opportunity to lead from the front. The UK can play such an important role in bolstering the international community’s resolve to finally put in place the robust measures we need to end the fighting. We’re calling on you, Teresa May. We’re calling on you, Boris Johnson. Act now, and Save Aleppo’s children.”

War Child, who is working on the ground in the region, responding to the fallout of the Syrian conflict in Jordan and Lebanon, demands the UK government develops a robust plan to end the fighting and ensure that international humanitarian law is upheld, including through carefully considering the following measures:

  • Economic sanctions – to increase pressure on Russia through the imposition of tougher economic sanctions, from travel bans to asset freezes
  • International justice – where there is evidence of war crimes having been committed, these must be investigated and brought to trial
  • No fly zones – implementinga no-fly zone to prevents attacks by helicopters on population centres (and which are estimated to cause 90 percent of civilian casualties)
  • No bombing zone – responding to any future air attacks by the Syrian regime with carefully targeted strikes against the regime’s military assets. In contrast to a no-fly zone, this would involve no military engagement with Russian targets, and may therefore by more politically viable

Ends

Notes to editors

For further information and interview opportunities please contact Miranda Pitt on +44 764989343

Organisations involved at the rally

Amnesty International UK

Avaaz

Big Heart

Council on Arab British Understanding (CAABU)

CARE International UK

Christian Aid

Doctors of the World UK

Human Appeal

International Rescue Committee UK

Syria Relief

The Syria Campaign

War Child

WATAN

ABOUT WAR CHILD UK

War Child is striving for a world where children’s lives are no longer torn apart by war.

We are the only specialist charity for children in conflict, delivering high-impact programmes that are rebuilding lives across Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic. We understand children’s needs, respect their rights, and put them at the centre of the solution - from supporting Syrian children to access education, to reintegrating child soldiers in the Central African Republic and enabling girls to escape life on the streets in the DRC.

We aim to reach children early in the conflict cycle and stay to support them through their recovery, providing education and protection services and also building longer-term livelihood opportunities. We support children to deal with the traumas of armed conflict, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to go back to school, and providing training to young people so they can support themselves.

We believe that children and young people know what matters to them and that their voices and demands should be heard – we work with them to build their confidence as advocates and to mobilise others to take action in support of them.

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Charity number: 1071659

[1] See figures from the Syrian Centre for Policy and Research,

[2] OCHA Syria Statistics,