by Sophie Johnston, Tasneem Naffakh and Ameena Patel
More than half of all Syrian children are refugees who have experienced horrors during the six-year civil war. These children did nothing wrong and are facing situations and conditions no child should ever experience.
Save the Children’s new report, Invisible Wounds, details the psychological trauma children experience in war-torn areas within Syria. In the report, Syrian children tell Save the Children aid workers they wish they could die so they can “go to heaven, be warm and eat and play.”
Four million Syrian children need emergency help right now. Two thousand schools in Syria have been bombed or severely damaged as a result of the war. Today, the main reason children fail to attend school is fear of being killed.
Violence is the norm in Syria – 33 percent of children have been hit, kicked, or shot at, 75 percent of children have had a loved one die and 7,000 children have been killed.
When we see children attacked, we are morally obliged to help. We need Congress to take the steps needed to end the refugee ban, and we need Americans to help children in Syria.
The sixth anniversary of the Syrian refugee crisis is March 15th. Although we may be thousands of miles away, you can still help.
President Trump recently released a new executive order banning refugees from coming to America. The order uses different words to accomplish the same thing the Administration tried to do in January – close America’s doors to families fleeing violence and persecution.