Link to Article: “‘Suffered far too long’: 12.3 million Syrian children need aid“
Syrian children are in dire need of aid, the UN claims, with over 12.3 million children suffering both inside the country’s borders and within neighboring countries. This comes after Syria’s devastating civil war.
Adele Khodr, the UNICEF Middle East Chief stated, “In Syria’s neighboring countries, strained by political instability and fragility, nearly 5.8 million children depend on assistance – their lives riddled with poverty and hardship”
Along with the civil war, the war in Ukraine has caused prices of basic necessities such as food to increase exponentially, leaving more families to flee or fall into deep poverty. Unfortunately, UNICEF has experienced a large shortfall in cash, limiting the amount of aid it will be able to provide to the children. In fact, there has been a steady decrease in funding for humanitarian aid, with less than half of the funding being met this past year.
Looking at the root causes of the issue, one must understand the civil war. The Syrian Civil War began back in 2011 when the government (led by Bashar al-Assad) faced rebellions due to issues with unemployment and corrupt government leadership. Protests began erupting, and the Syrian government responded with forceful military defense. Instead of the Syrian government responding with a change in policy to fix the issues, it met protests with hostility beginning nationwide protests, eventually leading to war. This conflict escalated quickly, resulting in the mass displacement of millions of Syrians, drastically increasing the need for humanitarian aid, and creating a refugee crisis in nearby countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. The conflict has yet to be resolved and has become more complicated as other states such as Turkey, Iran, Russia, and the US have become involved. It is incredibly sad that a corrupt government can create catastrophes like this for its citizens, especially for children who have no choice.
In connection to the class, UNICEF, also known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, is a UN agency that works toward providing aid to children experiencing crises around the world. The agency is an example of a branch of an NGO. It receives its funding from voluntary donations from governments, IGOs, and private donations. Many countries rely on NGOs such as the UN to provide aid to their people in times of instability, such as in Syria. If UNICEF is not able to receive more funding, the future does not look favorably upon Syria’s children.