Reem al-Kari and her cousin Lama are searching through dozens of photos of children spread out on a desk. Reem's missing son, Karim, vanished with his father in Syria during the tumult of the civil war. He is but one of more than 3,700 children still unaccounted for. The Assad regime’s violent crackdown separated countless families, using children as pawns in a devastating political game.

Lahan Al Hayat, a shelter initiated with ties to Asma al-Assad, is one of multiple institutions that have concealed the fates of these vulnerable children. The recent collapse of the Assad regime opened new avenues for investigation, revealing that a globally recognized charity, SOS Children's Villages International, operated within this fraught environment.

Whistleblowers allege that SOS, pressured by funding quotas, admitted children without proper vetting and complied with the regime's directives, including impeding family connections, thus complicating the process for parents seeking their children.

Amid these chilling revelations, the organization is facing scrutiny from the global community as families like Reem’s continue their anguished pursuit for closure. With each story of separation and deception, the tragic impact of the civil war deepens, calling for accountability in a humanitarian crisis that has spanned years.