War
I come from a long line of family that were in the Navy. My mother. My father. My paternal Uncle. My paternal Grandfather. My maternal Grandmother. My maternal Grandfather. Although I did not grow up with my parents being in the Navy, when "war time" comes, you can bet that our household was buzzing with talk of politics. I am not comparing myself, by any means, to the children that grow up in countries where war is a daily part of life. However, I can remember when I was about 12, in 1992, when the Gulf War began. I have a distinct memory of seeing the bombs that were released over Baghdad, each night on the television. I did not understand why. I did not understand what we were fighting over. I did not even understand why we had to write to soldiers in the military in my 6th grade class.
But then, September 11, 2001 happened. Now I was 21. Now I understood what was going on, why we were bombing another country, and what we were fighting over. I, like so many people, remember that fateful day. Yet the days following it are even more vivid. The fear lasted for days, weeks, and even months. I was living in a town with a military base. Night after night, I was worried that it would be bombed. We lived in an area where the only way out of town was to go over bridges, which were all closed, at the time. I felt like a sitting duck. I remember going outside, after 3 days of staying in, to run to the store. The town was eerily quiet. It seemed as though 90% of the town had left. Being a military town, this may have been true, but I was not expecting the quiet and desolation that I saw driving down the main street in the town.
If I was honest, I would have to say that I'm not over 9/11 yet. I have a hard time looking at pictures or watching specials on television about the events of that day. However, I think one image is burned into my brain permanently: people jumping from the windows of the World Trade Center. So sad.
War in Syria
I have friends who are from the country of Syria. In fact, they still have relatives living there today. I have avoided looking into the crisis that is taking place in the country of Syria because I hate to see people dying and children effected so harshly during war time. However, I decided to look up the Syrian crisis because it is my job to defend the rights of children and to help when ever I can.
I was able to find an organization called War Child, UK, that directly deals with the Syrian conflict. The website revealed a paper written on the effects the conflict in Syria is having on children who not only live there, but have also fled to refugee camps.
This quote sums up the problem entirely:
"The treatment of children has been undeniably callous. Children and young people have been summarily massacred; illegally detained; sexual abused; used in combat; abducted and tortured, denied schooling and access to humanitarian aid; and deliberately targeted in violent attacks" (Williams, 2012).
The article goes on to explain how the organization, War Child, UK wants to help these children in Syria. They speak of community outreach in Syria and in Lebanon, where most refugees are heading. There is a component of sustainability needed, as well as psychosocial support. Furthermore, there is an extreme need for a supportive education component because most children are not receiving their education in refugee camps or are afraid to go to school due to becoming a target of bombing attacks.
References
William, R. (2012, July 22). Syria: A War on Childhood. Retrieved from War Child, UK website: http://www.warchild.org.uk/sites/default/files/Syria%20-%20War%20on%20Children%28final%29.pdf
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