Syria’s regime has been repressing its people for years. But recently, the brutal regime has assumed a ferocious, inhumane method that targets young boys and girls. These children do not die from warring bombs or random attacks; they are being arbitrarily arrested by their own government on charges of speaking out against the dictator.
As dissenters, or the sons and daughters of dissidents, these children are being tortured, raped, used as human shields. Their throats are being slit. Their mangled bodies are publicly exposed as a way to silence the opposition. In order to keep the opposition quiet, the regime is violating the most sacred and profound essence of what it means to be human – love and the natural instinct to protect our children. This fierce, cruel method of control is unprecedented in the history of dictatorships.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special representative for children and girls in armed conflict, said “The killing and wounding of children during armed conflicts happens in many conflicts, but the torture of children in prison, ten-year-old children, is something extraordinary that we have not seen before in other places.”
We realize that the Syrian crisis is extremely complex and spread over many levels, relating to international interests and nations’ relationships in the world political arena. Who supports who? Who tolerates the situation and fails to denounce it? Who is still waiting for the right time to intervene?
In this context we feel a sense of powerlessness that makes every sentence, every complaint, every gesture of rebellion seem useless.
However, we are faced with an unacceptable situation. We can not stand idly by without denouncing the regime’s actions, without publicly stating our indignation.
Aware of the fact that our heartfelt conviction is just one small voice amid the cacophony of an absurd war, we ask that every person in the world offer one gesture, one sympathetic thought. Together, we can make a huge collective gesture of protest against those who plan and inflict this horror, those who support the Syrian regime, those who agree, those who are silent.
We invite you to join us beginning Friday, July 6:
– To wear a white bracelet or ribbon around your wrist as a sign of mourning for those children who have been killed, inscribed with the words:
FREE TO PLAY IN A FREE SYRIA
– To inform and involve as many people as possible through a global initiative of letters, emails, text messages and phone calls, and to bring a loving, human awareness to the issue. Contact your government and institutional leaders and encourage them to speak up and take a stand, to condemn the brutal regime, on behalf of all caring citizens across the world.
Americans, find your senator here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
and contact the President: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
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