A video of 5-year-old Syrian boy who was injured in an airstrike in Syria has gone viral after the dazed look on the boy’s face shook the world. The video shows 5-year-old Omar Daqneesh being pulled out of the rubble into an ambulance where he sits emotionless and tries to clean the blood off his face.
This picture of Omar is not the first one to show the ugly face of present day conflicts which have reignited the debate about refugees and immigration. Many who take the risk to get their families out of conflict zones are met with opposition in their host countries, who see refugees as a burden.
The image of Omran, like that of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who drowned off the coast of Turkey last year, has once again turned the world’s attention to the uncomfortable reality of such conflicts and their outcome. But it is unfortunate that the world will forget Omar just like others who shook the world with their innocence. Here are 5 pictures from war-torn that tell a story of pain and horror, often ignored by the likes of Trump.
5. Pokémon Go
The call from Omran is nothing new. Syrian citizens who are caught up in the conflict used the viral Pokémon Go game to ask for help. Saif Aldeen, a Syrian graphic designer, released a series of images with “Syria Go” showing the state of Syrian children who have no escape. The designer used Pokemon Go character’s to raise awareness and urge Humanitarians to save Syria’s children.
4. Smile is their Strength
While they are waiting for humanity to notice and speak up for them, these Palestinian children give hope to each other with their smiles. 5-year-old Ahmed Dawabsheh surrvived an arson which killed his 18-month-old brother and their parents.
3. Kids having a Bath
Another powerful image from Palestine by Photographer Emad Samir captures the hope children see where adults fail to. Horrors of war and struggle of survival coupled with a father’s hope for a better future for his children, How a bath might wash away the destruction and pain from their lives.
2. Aylan Kurdi
Aylan’s story is not unknown, Three-year-old Aylan washed up dead on a beach in Turkey in 2015. Like Aylan, many Syrians who chose to leave end up washed away on foreign shores. And those who do end making the journey to safety sometimes end up witnessing the ugly face of intolerance and bigotry.
1. “Save Us”
This picture of Omran who was rescued from rubble in Syrian speaks only two words i.e. “Save Us”. The five years old was rescued along with his three siblings and parents after bomb hit their house. All we need to do now is make sure that Omar Daqneesh may not become another Aylan and this awakening of humanity won’t be limited to headlines.