- For the past four years, there has been a horrific civil war going on in Syria. It began with the hope of freedom during the 2011 Arab Spring Protests. A protest to show the dictator has too much power. A protest to grant freedom to the citizens. Several dictatorships fell as a result of the Arab Spring Protests. But instead of bowing to the protesters, the current dictator, Bashar al-Assad, is fighting the protesting to stay in power. And he is retaliating with an absurd amount of violence, including gassing his own people and even torturing toddlers.
Back in 2011, Syria had a population of 22.4 million people, and today more than 250,000 people have been killed, 10.6 million Syrian, and less than half the original population are still in Syria. 7.6 million people have been forced to flee but hope to return, and another 4 million Syrians left the country entirely looking for a future somewhere else in the world. Of those who fled, about 6.1 million are currently Turkey, and there are about 1 million in each Lebanon and Jordan. There are about 100,000 more in Iraq and Egypt. That is 95% of the Syrians who live in those countries. Jordan’s population in now 25% refugees.
A shocking image has been circulating around the globe. This image is of a young boy lying face down on a beach, motionless. This young boy and his family were Syrian refugees and were trying to leave via an inflatable raft to Greece. During this dangerous voyage, the raft capsized and drowned many of the passengers. Three of those passengers were the young boy, his five year-old brother, and his mother. The boy's father survived the voyage and now is burying his wife and sons back in Syria. He was offered asylum in other countries, but said, “Now, I don’t want anything, what was precious is gone.”
-Alyssa Philbrook-Beaumier
Back in 2011, Syria had a population of 22.4 million people, and today more than 250,000 people have been killed, 10.6 million Syrian, and less than half the original population are still in Syria. 7.6 million people have been forced to flee but hope to return, and another 4 million Syrians left the country entirely looking for a future somewhere else in the world. Of those who fled, about 6.1 million are currently Turkey, and there are about 1 million in each Lebanon and Jordan. There are about 100,000 more in Iraq and Egypt. That is 95% of the Syrians who live in those countries. Jordan’s population in now 25% refugees.
A shocking image has been circulating around the globe. This image is of a young boy lying face down on a beach, motionless. This young boy and his family were Syrian refugees and were trying to leave via an inflatable raft to Greece. During this dangerous voyage, the raft capsized and drowned many of the passengers. Three of those passengers were the young boy, his five year-old brother, and his mother. The boy's father survived the voyage and now is burying his wife and sons back in Syria. He was offered asylum in other countries, but said, “Now, I don’t want anything, what was precious is gone.”
-Alyssa Philbrook-Beaumier
http://storage.torontosun.com/v1/blogs-prod-photos/8/d/3/d/1/8d3d12ce47933f0de576f0f9a88a2871.jpg?stmp=1441600401
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAQQjBxqFQoTCJ2Pzs-iocgCFUMWPgod5S0D0g&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F6%2F6f%2FAn_Aerial_View_of_the_Za%27atri_Refugee_Camp.jpg&bvm=bv.104226188,d.cWw&psig=AFQjCNE2C9S_dPRmjwlKhq84SJ37eIZMrA&ust=1443788815425146
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAQQjBxqFQoTCNuo1OyiocgCFYJ4PgodtkIJPw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic3.nydailynews.com%2Fpolopoly_fs%2F1.2345693.1441246920!%2Fimg%2FhttpImage%2Fimage.jpg_gen%2Fderivatives%2Farticle_635%2Faptopix-turkey-migrants.jpg&bvm=bv.104226188,d.cWw&psig=AFQjCNHSxev_ZdER1BlVHd7BCya9yuhLxg&ust=1443788872523441
http://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/15/09/syria-refugees.jpg
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAQQjBxqFQoTCJutk9SjocgCFcNsPgod_i4Gsg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fs.newsweek.com%2Fsites%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Ffiles%2F2014%2F04%2F02%2Fsyrian-refugee_1.jpg&bvm=bv.104226188,d.cWw&psig=AFQjCNHS7E6UMr8S58MLCMyTjPHTfAGumw&ust=1443788704429656
http://d2zyf8ayvg1369.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/styles/imagestack/adaptive-image/public/MercyCorps_SyriaCrisisRefugeesGraph_0215.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/27/09/2BB2BCC700000578-0-image-a-12_1440665519327.jpg
http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/6554954-3x2-940x627.jpg
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150831191241-hungary-fence-large-169.jpg
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAQQjBxqFQoTCJ2Pzs-iocgCFUMWPgod5S0D0g&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F6%2F6f%2FAn_Aerial_View_of_the_Za%27atri_Refugee_Camp.jpg&bvm=bv.104226188,d.cWw&psig=AFQjCNE2C9S_dPRmjwlKhq84SJ37eIZMrA&ust=1443788815425146
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAQQjBxqFQoTCNuo1OyiocgCFYJ4PgodtkIJPw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic3.nydailynews.com%2Fpolopoly_fs%2F1.2345693.1441246920!%2Fimg%2FhttpImage%2Fimage.jpg_gen%2Fderivatives%2Farticle_635%2Faptopix-turkey-migrants.jpg&bvm=bv.104226188,d.cWw&psig=AFQjCNHSxev_ZdER1BlVHd7BCya9yuhLxg&ust=1443788872523441
http://crooksandliars.com/files/primary_image/15/09/syria-refugees.jpg
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAQQjBxqFQoTCJutk9SjocgCFcNsPgod_i4Gsg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fs.newsweek.com%2Fsites%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Ffiles%2F2014%2F04%2F02%2Fsyrian-refugee_1.jpg&bvm=bv.104226188,d.cWw&psig=AFQjCNHS7E6UMr8S58MLCMyTjPHTfAGumw&ust=1443788704429656
http://d2zyf8ayvg1369.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/styles/imagestack/adaptive-image/public/MercyCorps_SyriaCrisisRefugeesGraph_0215.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/27/09/2BB2BCC700000578-0-image-a-12_1440665519327.jpg
http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/6554954-3x2-940x627.jpg
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150831191241-hungary-fence-large-169.jpg
