9/22/16
One main problem the world is facing today is refugees and how to help them. Especially in Syria, people are fleeing with no place to go and are desperately trying to seek safety in the U.S. The problem, the United States is making it almost impossible to accept refugees. The Syrian Refugee crisis first started in March of 2011 and every single Syrian refugee caught in the war is stuck experiencing bombings, killings, torture, and injuries with no help. People able to escape flee to where they can such as places like Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and even Iraq. These refugees risk so much as they try to escape by foot or boat like getting caught or even shot. 5 million Syrian refugees are waiting to be sent to a new home, many including children, living in camps waiting for the day they can start a better life.
9/29/16
9/19/16
Refugees can be described as people in international legal systems that are in some ways protected.Before a person can be classified as a refugee with the safety and protection that comes with it, they must first seek asylum. When you seek asylum that means you classify yourself as a person in danger who needs help and then the government of a specific region will decide if you can be classified as a refugee. The person can claim asylum in any country outside of their own. If the government approves, that person can now be a refugee with that governmental protection. One common misconception people have is they think if a person flees from their area of war zone, like Syria, then they are automatically a refugee but that is of course not the case. People still stuck and living in Syria are not refugees and people who fled cannot be a refugee yet either unless they to sought asylum and was approved and can then take the steps as a refugee to be placed somewhere.
U.S Committee For Refugees:
Right when you first visit this source, the one thing that grabs your attention is the large fact that 60 million people in the world have been forcibly displaced and less than .1% will get the chance to start a new life. This means that almost all of refugees will not get a fair chance to better their lives and to start over in a safer environment with better opportunities. People are fleeing from all over from places like Iraq, Syria, Cuba, Columbia, Somalia, Iran, etc. Refugees are human beings that deserve the same rights and lives we have and they are exposed to so much violence and harm that they have no choice to leave their homes and escape into the unknown not knowing what will happen next. Although the process is hard, some refugees have made their way to America and once they get here they are welcomed, given safety and support, and a chance at a new start.
Syria's suffering revealed in satellite images (BBC News):
Through an array of satellite photos, the viewers of this article can see how much suffering the country of Syria has endured along with all that live or lived in the country. Hom's, one of Syria's cities, is a main battle ground that has some of the most damage. Places like schools, mosques, and homes that used to stand are no longer in existence. You see large mounds of rubble and dirt and large patches of smoke and even bridges collapsed and destroyed. One of the oldest cities in existence, Aleppo, used to hold some of the countries most historic sites that are now gone due to the war. Almost every city you see the aftermath of bombings and with the conditions each city or town are in you wonder how people are still living there. Before and after photos with only few years of a difference show how a city that was once something is now nothing like the city of Hama with around 3,256 so far turned into rubble.
10/3/16
Crossing Mexico:
This article opens up with a true story of a man trying to cross the border from Mexico to the United States with his family but is caught and suddenly pinned to the ground with a gun pointing against his head. The migration crisis from Mexico to the United States is a huge ongoing problem and not to mention a long and dangerous journey these people have to endeavor. This article expresses the dangers as it follows the journey of Juan and his family as they chose to travel the Pacific border from Mexico to the United States, one of the most dangerous paths that includes stops in some of the most dangerous cities. The family is exposed to dangers such as robberies, sexual violence, mugging, abduction, rape, and gun and knife violence as they travel on foot and on freight trains. Freight trains can be described as trains people forcefully load onto to try and travel across the land to escape. The main reason people escape from Mexico to the U.S. is for a chance at a better life but as shown in this article, the journey is not easy and sometimes taking on the challenge results in not even making it to your destination or worse, death. The lucky ones that do make it to the United States have a very difficult time starting a better life because now they face the almost impossible challenges of settling and getting a job and money here in America.
People Living "In Sheer Terror" Across Lake Chad:
In Africa there resides Lake Chad, a place in which people live but are exposed to pure danger and violence every single day. With the state the countries of Africa are in, homelessness is a huge problem. 2.5 million people in Africa are deemed homeless due to the causes of violence and destruction. This article educates the readers on the struggles people in Lake Chad and all over Africa as well are facing every day. One of the problems is the lack of health care. People are living in unhealthy living conditions and are getting sick and injured all the time and once that happens they do not have the proper health care opportunities to be treated or seen by anyone. The other problem faced is there are so many regions suffering and in dire need of help and we don't know exactly where they are or the extent of help they need. Along with that issue brings up the fear of not having a good future. A lot of the people are growing helpless and hopeless because they have not received help and are not even sure if they will get the chance to be helped or to start a better life.
10/6/16
"One Family's Story from the Dem. Republic of Congo:"
Clement and Aline Shabani are two people both originally from the Dem. of Republic of Congo. They talk about the suffering their government is going through currently due to war and other hardships and how they seek out to help people affected especially children. They try to speak for woman since in their country women are not considered and their voices and rights are never heard. They work for a non profit organization to help give people educational resources especially women and girls since they are mainly effected and are not considered. Families in Congo only send the boys to school so they try to teach women to stand up for themselves and their rights. The women are victims of poverty, violence, rape, sickness and diseases, are are never helped or have needs met. They talk of stories of government officials violating and harming families and young girls and abusing them just for expressing their natural rights. Clement and Aline help in cases like these by trying to provide lawyers and medical care to those affected.
The Struggle For Justice In Guatemala:
This video is a Ted Talk showing a speaker who is a survivor of a genocide war in Guatemala, Iduvina Hernandez. She hopes to tell the story of her people and their struggles every day so people never forget and remember those who died and those still suffering in hopes people will reach out to help as well. She talks of her journey when she was younger and was on a march with her friends to support a young person who died and in response all of her friends were killed too by the army. Her husband later in her life was also taken and killed by the army. She stresses the importance of realizing all the people who reside in Guatemala are normal people, students, workers, families, farmers, etc. and it was a tragic thing that happened to normal people. For 30 years the government took over and fought against the people and Iduvina survived it all.