India, March 1 -- "At least three children lost their lives and another 15 were injured last night when a fire broke out in al-Hol camp in northeast Syria.

"In and around the al-Hol camp in the northeast of Syria, there are more than 22,000 foreign children of at least 60 nationalities who languish in camps and prisons, in addition to many thousands of Syrian children.

"Children in al-Hol are faced not only with the stigma they are living with but also with very difficult living conditions where basic service are scarce or in some cases unavailable.

"The detention of children is a measure of last resort and should be for the shortest time possible. Children should not be detained based solely on suspected family ties with armed groups ...