The Humanitarian Crisis In Syria

The mounting civilian casualties in Syria and the displacement of over 6 million Syrians –with prospects of both more casualties and more displacement – make this the most daunting humanitarian crisis facing the world today. Syria is a West Asian country, a region in which the Muslim populace predominates. The problems in Syria began in 2011 as a peaceful protest but quickly rose into an armed civil conflict which has cost the lives of 100,000 people and forced over two million to flee to the relative safety of neighboring countries. This conflict has captured the world’s attention because of the tactics employed by the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. Unarmed civilians were attacked and killed by government troops as they searched for …show more content…
The conflict shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, with fighting escalating in all regions and the economy and government services almost nonexistent. The war has killed more than 200,000 people, cut life expectancy by 20 years and shifted more than half of the country’s population of 21 million people. About 7.6 million people have been displaced within Syria, while 3.8 million have departed the country altogether. Many Syrians are fleeing because there is not enough international aid to help refugees in this region. Many children are going too long without being formally educated. Almost 5 million Syrians have registered or are awaiting registration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which is leading the regional emergency response. Every year of the conflict there has been an exponential growth in refugees. In 2012, there were 100,000 refugees. By April 2013, there were 800,000. That doubled to 1.6 million in less than four months. This means that almost one-third of Syria’s people have been forced to leave their communities. The widespread displacement in Syria is a result of the failure of the Syrian government to resolve internal conflicts and to respect the basic rights of its people. It may also be stated that the displacement of so many Syrians is an indication of the inability of the international community to prevent the atrocities, large-scale violence, and …show more content…
What started as an attempt by the regime of President Assad to disassemble an uprising has turned into a civil war that has divided the country into the largest battlefield of terrorism that we have seen thus far. The massive and rapid displacement of over 2 million Syrians over an 18-month period reflects failure of the Syrian regime to resolve internal conflicts and to respect the basic rights of its people; the failure of both sides of the conflict to respect international humanitarian law; and the failure of the international community to prevent the atrocities and widespread human rights violations which have forced a third of the country’s population to leave their homes. There is also a direct relationship between those displaced inside Syria and refugee movements into neighboring countries. Many of those turning up as refugees in Jordan and Lebanon report having been displaced multiple times within Syria before making it across a border. The initial response of governments in the region was one of generosity and solidarity to the two million registered refugees arriving on their borders. With the passage of time and the increase in numbers of arrivals, there are signs that the population is increasing too fast. While all of the governments have imposed restrictions on entry of one kind or another to combat refugee