Friday, September 20, 2013

The Physical and Mental Displacement of Syrians through the Conflict

There are two things that anyone would think of when the words "Syrian Conflict" are brought up.  The first is most likely that it is a tragedy, and the second is how little the US is doing to help.  Now whether the second thing is a legitimate thought to ponder over when the topic is at hand is of course, debatable.  What is unquestionable, however, is that this entire ordeal has been taxing for the Syrian people physically and mentally.

With hundreds of thousands of civilians leaving Syria to escape the violence, the surrounding countries have been taxed heavily by the incoming refugees.  A remarkable and commendable point however, is that they do so with open arms.  Although these countries might be able to help these people physically, by setting up camps and allowing them to stay in these places, there is another wound much deeper that cannot be so easily handled.  Trauma, whether in the form of PTSD, assault, or other forms of abuse, causes a severe debilitation of mental faculties, a problem that will have to be addressed before this conflict is over.

It is clear that this entire conflict has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the world.  The US has been criticized for either not doing enough, or doing too much in the wrong place when it comes to Syria.  The UN has declared that this is the single greatest humanitarian effort that they have undertaken to date, requiring close to $5.2 billion in aid to over 10 millions Syrians.  Surrounding countries have done a great deal to help these refugees.  These points are merely a few of the negative, neutral, and positive effects some countries are having on this conflict.  In the end, these people might get their homes back if they're lucky, but their lives will never be the same, because scars might fade with time, but memories can stay for a lifetime.

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1 comment:

  1. There are so many questions that remain unanswered about this situation, but one thing is clear. The damage from this crisis is going to take generations to heal. you are right, the mental and emotional damage has ruined the lives of thousands of families, even if they do make it back home.

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