When the world’s most powerful people are guilty of a three-year old’s murder

We’ve all seen the picture of the drowned toddler washed up on a Turkey beach circulate across social media. The picture which showed the little boy wearing a red t-shirt and shorts lying face-down on a beach near the resort town of Bodrum had us captivated mainly because how extraordinary powerful and horrifying it was.

There was another picture, as widely circulated as the first one. In it, a grim-faced policeman carries the body away.

The child, who is thought to be Syrian, is one of the 12 refugees feared to have drowned in an evident attempt to flee the war-ravaged country and reach the Greek island of Kos.

The lifeless body was that of a three year old. His name is Aylan Al-Kurdi. The body of his elder brother, five-year-old Galip was found washed up in another part of the beach.

While no one is unfamiliar with the civil war plaguing Syria, what these pictures managed to remind everyone is the reality of the horrors and helplessness of the refugee crisis.

It is no wonder then that these very pictures have managed to set off a worldwide outrage and a fresh discourse on how Europe’s paltry response to the ongoing refugee crisis must be amended.

And, most importantly, who was responsible for that innocent toddler’s death?

To put things in perspective, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron had described the attempts of migrants wanting access to Europe as ‘swarms’ and had clearly indicated that he would not allow people to break into the country.

Incidentally, the government in Britain has accepted a lower number of asylum seekers in proportion to its population compared to most other EU countries.

What Prime Minister Cameron needs to understand at the moment is that the ‘swarm’ of migrants are not fleeing their homeland by choice, but due to desperation. Theirs is an extremely difficult choice between life and death. And, as one of the world’s superior powers, Britain’s greater involvement will facilitate help for these helpless, if not anything.

Far away, a little after this tragedy unfolded, an unsympathetic China held its biggest display of military might in a parade to commemorate its World War II victory over Japan, even as President Xi Jinping announced that it would cut troop levels by 300,000.

The irony of the event aside, the massive show could duly be deemed ‘scary’ especially at a time when countries (Syria in particular) are still reeling from the consequences of war.

Granted that seven decades have passed since the war ended, but trotting soldiers, tanks, jet fighters and other weapons to celebrate what can it be described as a global bloodshed and atrocities is still plain revolting.

To say the least, the timing of it was awful.

It is the actions of these powers like Britain and China and their leaders that indirectly shape the fate of countries like Syria, which are struggling for existence. At a time like this, what is expected is compassion and unconstrained assistance, not indifference.

It is they who should tell the world that #RefugeesareWelcome

Image credit: Indiatimes