Syrian Refugee Crisis

Background
Pro-democracy protests erupted in March 2011 in the southern city
of Deraa after the arrest and torture of some teenagers who painted
revolutionary slogans on a school wall. After security forces opened
fire on demonstrators, killing several, more took to the streets. The
unrest triggered nationwide protests demanding President Assad's
resignation. The government's use of force to crush the dissent
merely hardened the protesters' resolve. By July 2011, hundreds of
thousands were taking to the streets across the country. Opposition
supporters eventually began to take up arms, first to defend
themselves and later to expel security forces from their local areas.
Violence escalated and the country descended into civil war as rebel
brigades were formed to battle government forces for control of
cities, towns and the countryside. Fighting reached the capital
Damascus and second city of Aleppo in 2012. By June 2013, the UN
said 90,000 people had been killed in the conflict. However, by
August 2014 that figure had more than doubled to 191,000 - and
continued to climb to 250,000 by August 2015, according to
activists and the UN.
The conflict is now more than just a battle between those for or
against President Assad. It has acquired sectarian overtones,
pitching the country's Sunni majority against the president's
Shia Alawite sect, and drawn in neighboring countries and world
powers. The rise of the jihadist groups, including Islamic State, has
added a further dimension.

The Crisis
The Syrian Civil War since 2011 has created a major humanitarian
crisis as it affects more than 12 million people. This figure is more
than any of those affected by natural disaster such as Indian Ocean
Tsunami, Haiti Earthquake, or Hurricane Katrina.
About 4.3 million Syrians have fled their country since 2011, while
6.6 million are displaced within Syria who lives under constant
threat of life. Most of the people have taken refuge in the
neighbouring countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt
whereas about 10% have taken shelter in Europe and beyond. In
these staggering numbers half of them are children who have faced
the worst affect of this crisis, as they are at the risk of becoming ill,
malnourished, or exploited.
No one wants to leave their home country until it is not safe for
them to live there anymore. But Syrians are facing everyday

violence of bombs, sniper, and gunfights between rebels and

government forces. Moreover, the infrastructure has collapsed and
the whole economy has shattered as there are no means for people
to earn their livelihood to survive this deadly conflict and they are
wholly dependent on the foreign aid, which is not sufficient and it
doesnt even reaches to all the victims because the major parts are
engulfed in deadly fights that makes it impossible for the
humanitarian workers to access all the areas. Lastly, the safety of
children is at stakes they have lost loved ones, suffered injuries,
missed years of schooling, and witnessed violence and brutality.
Warring parties forcibly recruit children to serve as fighters, human
shields, and in support roles, according to the U.S. State
Department.
In September 2015, a three-year-old boy Aylan Kurdi of Kurdish
decent created uproar among people all around world when he
washed ashore on Turkish coast in an attempt to migrate to the
Europe with his family. But unfortunately, their boat met an accident
due to rough sea and the little boy drowned. The pictures of his little
corpse appeared on the social media and instantly his story became
viral. It largely shaped the public opinion in favor of Syrian migrants,
who until then were not largely welcomed particularly by the
European countries and west at large. But after that incident many
western countries opened their borders for the Syrian refugees
including Germany, UK, and Canada.
Many efforts are being made to help the refugees but those efforts
are not as much as compared to the magnitude of the refugees as
they are increasing day by day. The only permanent solution to this
humanitarian crisis is peace in their country. Although, Western
countries, Arab countries, and Russia are making efforts to fight off
the monstrous ISIS, but those are not sufficient and until now they
prove to be counterproductive.