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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.