Justice

The Other Woman's March You Probably Haven't Heard About

April 13th 2017

Back in January, women marched around the world to counter President Donald Trump's inauguration. Now, nearly 100 days into his presidency, they're back in the streets to raise awareness about an international crisis that's happening right now.

The #WomenForSyria events are being put together by the organizers of the Women’s March, and will include vigils in 34 cities in the U.S. and around the world. 

Organizers said in a statement they want to highlight the devastating human toll caused by the six-year conflict, including last week's deadly chemical attack in Syria's Idlib Province, allegedly carried out by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. 

"We recently saw horrific images of dead Syrian babies, mothers crying, fathers begging for death after the murders of their family members. When asked, Syrians have often said they feel alone. They feel like no one in the world cares about them or their plight for freedom, safety and security.”

They also want world leaders to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis stemming from the six-year civil war — particularly in light of the Trump administration's controversial travel ban, as well as a proposal that would have halted the United States' refugee program.

Both policies have been suspended pending legal review in federal court, though the original version of the refugee order would have specifically blocked Syrians from applying for refugee status for an indefinite period of time (an update to that plan later limited it to just 120 days). 

It's not clear how many Syrians are still going through the arduous asylum application process, but according to data from the Pew Research Center, a record 39,000 Muslims went through the refugee process last year.

The March's organizers want the United States to go further in helping Syrian refugees.  

Nearly 5 million Syrians have been displaced by the civil war and have been forced to resettle in other countries, according to the United Nations High Council on Refugees. Turkey has accepted nearly half that number, which is the most out of any other country. Germany has resettled the most Syrians in the Western world, with 450,000 of them now living within its borders.

"The United States has taken in a very small number of Syrian refugees. We demand that we be a sanctuary and safe haven for Syrian refugees. We call on the administration to let in at least 75,000 refugees," a statement on the March's website reads. "This will help alleviate some of the suffering of the children and their families. There is no easy solution – but providing Syrians with a life of safety and security is the least we can do."

You can find a #WomenForSyria event near you on the march's official website, or on their Facebook page

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