Many of us have seen the haunting images of injured children from Syria, but not many know about how deadly the situation currently is. Syria has been at war for the past seven years and innocent civilians are being caught in the middle of the bombings and chemical warfare. Though the intensity of the warfare fluctuates, many Americans are silent as the death toll keeps increasing.
The historical background of the war dates back to 2000 with the civilians’ dissention against the widespread corruption, lack of political and religious freedom, and high unemployment under the new Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who succeeded his father. Though the civilians liked Bashar al-Assad at first, he soon made it clear that he was going to turn the democracy into a dictatorship.
In 2011, Arab Spring—a series of protests surging throughout dictatorship-held countries in the Middle East—inspired Syrian civilians to protest against Bashar al-Assad’s regime as well, resulting in the government’s response to attack the civilians with gunfire. This sparked national outrage that divided the country into the rebels and the supporters of the government. Soon, other factions joined the war such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and other global powers such as Russia and United States of America.
The war has rapidly intensified this February when Assad and his forces attacked the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, by dropping bombs. According to UNICEF, about one-third of the estimated 400,000 civilians are children living in the area. More than 2000 people have been injured in Eastern Ghouta since February 18.
On March 6, approximately 100 people were killed in relentless bombings, making it one of the deadliest days in the war. By March 10, the government forces have captured the largest town in Eastern Ghouta. What is even more cruel is that the government forces are refusing humanitarian aid to allow into the area. Robert Madini, the head of Middle East operations for Red Cross, confirmed that the government troops confiscated the aid equipment for the civilians.
With all these efforts to try to quell the rebel forces in Syria, it seems as though the war has reached a point of hopelessness. However, there are still ways for citizens living in western countries to help. We can donate to organizations such as UNICEF, Save The Children, or the American Refugee Committee. If we cannot donate, we should still use our voices for those who cannot. Post about the news on social media so that others can become informed and voice outrage at what’s happening and demand action.
Elise Baker, a Syrian medical activist said in an interview with The WorldPost that “I feel that one of the things that has been missing in this conflict is significant outrage from American citizens or citizens from outside of Syria demanding action and saying this is unacceptable.”
The historical background of the war dates back to 2000 with the civilians’ dissention against the widespread corruption, lack of political and religious freedom, and high unemployment under the new Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who succeeded his father. Though the civilians liked Bashar al-Assad at first, he soon made it clear that he was going to turn the democracy into a dictatorship.
In 2011, Arab Spring—a series of protests surging throughout dictatorship-held countries in the Middle East—inspired Syrian civilians to protest against Bashar al-Assad’s regime as well, resulting in the government’s response to attack the civilians with gunfire. This sparked national outrage that divided the country into the rebels and the supporters of the government. Soon, other factions joined the war such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and other global powers such as Russia and United States of America.
The war has rapidly intensified this February when Assad and his forces attacked the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, by dropping bombs. According to UNICEF, about one-third of the estimated 400,000 civilians are children living in the area. More than 2000 people have been injured in Eastern Ghouta since February 18.
On March 6, approximately 100 people were killed in relentless bombings, making it one of the deadliest days in the war. By March 10, the government forces have captured the largest town in Eastern Ghouta. What is even more cruel is that the government forces are refusing humanitarian aid to allow into the area. Robert Madini, the head of Middle East operations for Red Cross, confirmed that the government troops confiscated the aid equipment for the civilians.
With all these efforts to try to quell the rebel forces in Syria, it seems as though the war has reached a point of hopelessness. However, there are still ways for citizens living in western countries to help. We can donate to organizations such as UNICEF, Save The Children, or the American Refugee Committee. If we cannot donate, we should still use our voices for those who cannot. Post about the news on social media so that others can become informed and voice outrage at what’s happening and demand action.
Elise Baker, a Syrian medical activist said in an interview with The WorldPost that “I feel that one of the things that has been missing in this conflict is significant outrage from American citizens or citizens from outside of Syria demanding action and saying this is unacceptable.”