Community Problem Report

Syria: Children Of War

Eileen Ortega
The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS-1301- Hood
10/27/15

Community Problem Report

War has been continuous since the beginning of civilization, thousands of people
are affected and never recovered from the trauma and the most affected are children.
Children who imagine could be your little sister or brother, being in this type of
environment, affects the children health, the stability of emotions, this children therefore
do not have a childhood they deserve, to be able to play and laugh without constant fear
of death. The children of Syria are severely affected because of the Syria war has gone on
for 5 years and it has not stopped, millions of refugees has fled their homeland Syria,
there are children who are still inside Syria, where the International Committee of the
Red Cross has not been able to retrieve or to even help those children. This children lives
matter, it will be a lost generation if we do not help, to take action and to stop this war,
because of these tremendous amounts of refugees fleeing, countries that have offered aid
is waning and turning hostile, for example this Hungarian reporter tripped a man named
Mr Alghadab and his son Zaid as they were attempting to cross to the Hungarian border,
this reporter claimed she felt threatened the fact that this woman can trip children who
have suffered so much pain in their short lives, it is bothersome, Zaid should not be going
through this, no children should.

According to redcross.org the ICRC and SARC, which these people stand to help, The
International Committee of the Red Cross is mandated by Geneva conventions to protect
and assist victims of armed conflict and violence has provided food for millions of
Syrian refugees, clean water for almost an entire population and health care. Families are
suffering especially the children who are put in a critical position for example the
statistics of savethechildren.org, has stated thousands of Syrian children are believed to
have been killed or injured, and the denial of the children basic rights. The conflict
situation is getting worse and more, more children are forced out of school to engage in
dangerous labor and some are involved in armed groups.
Syria children are affected not just emotionally but mentally, the fact that nothing is being
done to protect these children from being severely affected, studies have sprung on
children who have endured war-torn environment. One of the communities who has
approached this problem are this group of researchers who the authors of this study are
Mona S. Macksoud., J Lawrence Aber (1996) . The researchers who tested Lebanese
children and conducted interviews to the Lebanese children by using measures of war
measure, mental-health symptoms, adaptional changes, and Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). (pg.70-88)
However another community approached this subject by investigating Palestinian
children, (Srour, Roney, W., and Srour, Anan, 2006), but unlike most research, which
limits Palestinian children experiences to military-related traumatic events, this article
attempts to show the conflict between different communities, especially those having
different religions and ethnicities.

Community Problem Report

Despite these similarly studies Syria children still are being mistreated poorly and
are experiencing losses everyday, as stated in the book from Ressler, Everest M.,
Tortorici, Joanne Marie, Marcelino Alex, (2009) who led an investigation in order to see
the sad reality of children killed, tortured, imprisoned, and orphaned by war stated that a
change needed to happened and renewal of local, national, and international commitment
to these children. (276 p.) One of these events that has impacted humanity in itself is
about a young boy named Aylan Kurdi a 3 year old from Syria, he was a refugee along
with his family and they were all supposed to arrive in Europe to seek protection, but the
boat that took them from Turkish beach to Greek, Kos, the captain who was ferrying the
boat freaked out when the waves were too high and jumped out of the boat, he left Aylan
Kurdi and his family. The events turn for the worse as 12 passengers were killed along
with Aylan 5 year old brother Galip, and his mother Rehan, his father was the only
survivor. Aylan Kurdi drowned, he who died a death of torture in itself, this boy who
would never know what its like to be protected, to grow up and learn, to explore the
world, experience what is really happiness and freedom, nothing and everything was
taken away from him. Aylan Kurdi childhood was robbed from him because of a war, and
where help was ignored to him and his family is inhuman, unreal.

Community Problem Report

Due to these types of situations of these children in the midst of this war, even though
help is provided from different nations and ICRC and SARC are aiding the children in
Syria it is not enough. According to these statistics (Fahdah Fahd Alsaud) The state of
loss, despair, depression, suffering and pain has been immense through this past years,
and living in this state is the most damaging conflict for the children in the recent history
of the region. (228 p.) Millions of Syrian children only see war as there future, these
children have lost limbs, and lifes, teachers, family, the emotional stability these children
had is gone, the way war has changed them to expect this everyday as a norm is
horrifying. Also according to United Nations (UN), the estimated number of children of
being killed in Syria is at least 10,000. (228), (UNICEF, 2014, p.5).
Children are important, they are a generation, and no one should let this be a lost
generation of despair. A lot of people feel bad for the Syrian situation but only for a
moment but since it is not happening to them, their family or country, they forget about
these people and children. The United States citizens as a whole should be united to help
this crisis, to offer aid to these children and protect them from harm. Even if people are
more aware of this situation, just talking about it wont help, would they help once all this
children are dead? Action is needed, donating to the Red Cross for the costs they have for
aiding Syrian refugees will be a step, if all of the American citizens donated more people
will be saved and taken care of their necessities. Protecting these children should be
everyones number one priority, if all have a conscience, no one should be able to go on
with their lives knowing out there children are being robbed from their childhood,
enslaved, killed and tortured.

Community Problem Report

References
American Red Cross Staff (n.d.) Red Cross helps refugees flee Homelands. Retrieved
from: http://www.redcross.org/news/article/Red-Cross-Helps-as-Refugees-FleeHomelands

Britanica staff (n.d.) About Syrian-Civil- War) Retrieved from:

(http://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War)

Fahdah Fahd Alsaud. (August 28, 2015) Childrens Rights: Syrian Refugee Camps
Childhood Underfire? Journal of Politics and Law 8 J. Pol. & L. (2015) Volume
(8) No (3)
Guardian Staff (n.d.) Hungarian camera operator apologizes for kicking refugees
Retrieved from:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/11/something-snapped-hungarian-cameraoperator-apologises-kicking-refugees

Mona S. Macksoud., J Lawrence Aber(1996). The War Experiences and Psychosocial

Development of Children in Lebanon. Child Development 67(1), 70-88.
MSNBC staff (n.d.) Ayaln Kurdi is the Syrian toddler drowned on Bodrum Beach
Retrieved from
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/aylan-kurdi-the-syrian-toddler-drowned-bodrum-beach

Community Problem Report

Ressler, Everest M., Tortorici, Joanne Marie, Marcelino Alex, (2009) Children in War: A
guide to the provision of services. A study for UNICEF. Tufts University: United Nations
Childrens Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved from
http://repository.forcedmigration.org/show_metadata.jsp?pid=fmo:5191

Save the Children staff (n.d.) Help and Hope for Syrian Children and Refugees.
Retrieved from:
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8721487/

Srour, Roney, W., and Srour, Anan., (2006),. Communal and Familiar War-Related Stress
Factors: The case of the Palestinian Child, Journal Loss of and Trauma:
International Perspectives on Stress & Coping 11(4), 289-309

The Wall Street Journal staff (n.d.) Image of Drowned Syrian Boy Echoes Around the
World Retrieved from
http://www.wsj.com/articles/image-of-syrian-boy-washed-up-on-beach-hits-hard1441282847

MSNBC staff (n.d.) Ayaln Kurdi is the Syrian toddler drowned on Bodrum Beach
Retrieved from
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/aylan-kurdi-the-syrian-toddler-drowned-bodrum-beach