UN Says a Million Refugees Have Now Fled Syria; Half of Refugees Fleeing Civil War Were Children

The United Nations said today (March 6, 2013) that the number of Syrian refugees who have fled the ongoing two-year conflict in Syria has reached a million, according  to the BBC website. (The UN had previously estimated that over 70,000 Syrians have been killed in the civil war.)

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the number of people seeking haven in neighboring countries had jumped since the beginning of the year.

Half of the refugees were children, the UN said -- most of them under 11 and often traumatized by their experiences.

The largest numbers of refugees were seeking shelter in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. The figure includes registered refugees and newer arrivals awaiting registration.