They are not getting educated in schools, there are no hospitals to heal their wounds, they are living without homes.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: It is truly lamentable to note that for more than three years, Syria has been torn apart by loathing, ferocity, barrel missiles, chemical weapons, misery, grief, distress and man’s cruelty to man. Yet, the international community has botched in its mutual obligation to put an end to the gloomiest of sagas.
The statistics are astounding — several million have been displaced from their homes while several million refugees have poured into neighbouring countries. Over several hundred thousand are dead and countless have been injured in battle. Syrian children are the ones who have suffered the most owing to this conflict. One in 10 children — over 1.2 million — have fled Syria and have become refugees abroad. And once they leave Syria, their lives aren’t necessarily better: several refugee children are believed to be working, doing odd jobs on farms, cafes or car repair shops, or collecting money by begging on the streets. They are not getting educated in schools, there are no hospitals to heal their wounds, they are living without homes to nurture their growth, and without hope to believe that tomorrow will be a better day.
The international community should pay more attention to these children’s plight by ending the battle and supporting those who have been displaced in the civil war. Key international actors should also work with the Syrian people towards building a brighter future for Syria. The Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad, which has no moral qualms about killing its own people, must come to an end.
Shaukat Naeem Ghumman
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2014.
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