Reem al-Kari and her cousin Lama are searching through dozens of photos of children spread out on a desk. Lama thinks she spots one with a likeness to Karim, Reem's missing son.

Karim was two-and-a-half when he and his father disappeared, in 2013 during Syria's civil war, as they ran an errand. He is one of more than 3,700 children still missing since the fall, 10 months ago, of the Assad dictatorship. He would now be 15.

Lahan Al Hayat is one of several Syrian childcare facilities used to hold the children of detained parents during the 2011-2024 civil war. Instead of re-homing the children with their relatives, the youngsters were held in orphanages and used as political pawns. The situation worsened as the charity SOS Children's Villages began accepting children without proper vetting. Following the regime's collapse, families like Reem's are now left scrambling for answers regarding their missing loved ones.