Sign the petition

Just a few days earlier, more lifeless bodies of Syrian children were washed ashore after their desperate attempt to find refuge in Europe led to disaster. Dozens more have died a terrible death, suffocating in smuggler’s trucks, crushed by trains, perished of exhaustion, shot by armed coast guards.
 
Some 2,600 people have perished so far in the Mediterranean waters, how many more deaths can we stomach?
 
Syrians first fled into the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Once there, they found that they had escaped into a prison. They are not allowed to work in Jordan – currently home to 630,000 refugees. They are banned from working in Lebanon – a country of four million people that hosts one million refugees. Turkey, where almost 2 million refugees have sought protection, is trying harder to support them inside their borders, but resources are running low.
 
The US has announced that it will accept 1000 to 2000 refugees. Great Britain has relocated just 216. Syrians that are trying to use formal channels to obtain legitimate visas to Europe or Canada, see their applications rejected. There is no other hope left for them than to jump on a floating coffin to try and reach Europe and claim asylum.  Yet, the poorest of the poor and the unaccompanied Syrian children that beg in the streets of Amman, Istanbul, Beirut, have little hope to raise the money that smugglers are demanding to “sail” them to Europe. They will probably end their lives in the streets.
 
How many floating bodies do we need to see before our governments start re-enforcing asylum processes in the host country? If Syrians could apply for protection while they are still in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan, through formal channels, less people would opt to travel by sea, less people would become prey to smugglers.
 
We ask western Governments to create legal channels for the refugees which will grant humanitarian visas, and facilitate family reunions and resettlement, before Syrians are forced to take the “death route” to Europe.
 
We ask the European countries, the United States and Canada to facilitate all mechanisms to allow Syrian refugees that are stranded in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, to be able to apply for visas and legal documents that they may travel to their chosen destination.