The West wants to forget that Syria ever existed. Politicians and media often refer to Syrians as “migrants or refugees” without  pointing to their origin. Yet, 70% of the 250,000 people that have reached Greece's shores in 2015 came from Syria. 

The world wants to forget that Syria, a once middle income country, was left to drift into an ugly civil war while western and Arab regional powers were fueling the conflict by choosing which side they will arm.

Syrians have first fled into the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon,and Turkey. But once there, they found that they had escaped into a prison. They are not allowed to work in Jordan-home to 630,000 refugees. They are banned from working in Lebanon – a four million people country that hosts one million refugees. Turkey-where almost 2 million refugees have sought protection- is trying harder to support them inside its' borders, but resources are running low. 
The west and the rich Arab states, prefer to ignore the situation and have done nothing to support the host countries. At the same time, they just hope that refugees will not reach their gates.

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 ways to obtain visa to Europe or Canaa see their applications rejected.  UNHCR has no capacity to register everyone and to make matters worse, Syrians of Kurdish origin face great difficulties in obtaining refugee status. There is no other hope left for them than to  jump on a floating coffin and try to reach Europe and claim asylum. And yet, the poorest of the poor, and the unaccompanied Syrian children that beg in the streets of Amman, Istanbul, Beirut, will never raise the money that smugglers demand so that they will “sail” them to Europe. They will never find a home, a school, a life. They will probably end their lives in the streets.

How many floating bodies do we need to see before we start enforcing asylum processes in the host country?
Western governments can create legal channels which will provide  humanitarian visas and facilitate family reunions and resettlement before Syrians are forced to take the “death route” to Europe.

This is what our governments need to do. Syrians need solutions. Just our tears are not enough. ,