Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria by Bassam Khabieh provides an insider’s account of the impact that the war in Syria had on children.

Children and their families held onto fragments of normalcy through schools conducted in basements, street games played in the temporary lull of battle, and events and holidays celebrated under tenuous conditions.

From the rebel held area of Eastern Ghouta, it illustrates, through photographs and stories, the incredible resilience of Syria’s young in the face of violence.

Bassam did not start out as a photographer. When the war broke out in Syria, he was studying computer science at Damascus University. As the violence escalated there and around the country, it was clear that there was an urgent need for Syrian photographers to ensure that the world knew what was happening in his increasingly isolated and dangerous homeland. Throughout the conflict—until mid-2018, when the Syrian regime captured Douma, his hometown—he remained in the region, working as a photojournalist for many international media outlets and gaining international acclaim.

Now, years after the violence began, the Syrian people are waiting for a justice that comes too slowly. These photos will not bring back the childhoods that have been lost. But war criminals must be held accountable, and these images bear witness. They are evidence.

CONTRIBUTORS

Bassam Khabieh, Photographer
Bassam Khabieh, formerly an information technology specialist, is an internationally recognized Syrian photographer who for eight years documented war crimes and other ongoing human rights violations in the Syrian war while working for Reuters.  His images have been published in the Guardian, the Atlantic, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Time magazine. Bassam has also consulted for UNICEF and the World Health Organization. He was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 2015 and in 2018 was named a fellow at the Oak Institute for Human Rights at Colby College, where he taught photography and human rights. Bassam returned to Turkey after finishing his fellowship, where he continues to cover Syrian news and works with journalists and researchers reporting on Syrian refugees in Turkey. 

Alia Malek, Writer
Alia Malek, journalist and former civil rights lawyer, is the author of the 2017 nonfiction book The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria. 

Leslie Thomas, Co-Editor
Leslie Thomas is the founder of ART WORKS Projects, a co-founder of the MIRA Production Studio and LARC Architecture and Design, and an Emmy Award-winning art director. 

Amy Yenkin, Co-Editor
Amy Yenkin is an independent producer and editor. She is a co-founder and director of We, Women and founded the Documentary Photography Project at the Open Society Foundations. 

Giorgio Baravalle, Art Director
Giorgio Baravalle is a designer and art director who works across a broad range of disciplines. His practice has long included projects with a focus on human rights and social justice challenges. 

de.MO design, Publisher
de.MO design is an award-winning multidisciplinary design and publishing firm founded in Milan, Italy, by Giorgio Baravalle and Elizabeth Logan-Baravalle. 

Karam Foundation, Organizational Partner
A foundation for the future of Syria, Karam Foundation invests in young Syrian refugees so they can build a better future for themselves and their communities.