Months ago, that photo of little Aylam returned to the shore by the same sea in which his mother and sister died also left us speechless. But he has not been the only one, there are many children who are suffering from the blow of the war, some 13 million worldwide. The focus is these days on Syrian refugees fleeing by sea from the coast of Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the “deadliest sea route in the world,” according to Paula San Pedro, responsible for impact on Humanitarian Action at Oxfam Intermón .
The symbol of that silent tragedy, which seems to have already been anesthetized, is this picture that squeezes our hearts. That of a baby who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea and was rescued by the German NGO Sea Watch, which has spread the image to draw attention to the cruel reality that refugees live. We do not know his name, or his age, or his history, or where his parents are.
No one knows who he is and probably nobody claims his lifeless body. All we know is that it is believed that he drowned in the wreck of an overloaded wooden fishing boat that departed from Sabratha (Libya) last Thursday night and did not resist the crossing. "His arms were stretched. He looked like a doll," Martin told Reuters, the man who rescued him from the water and the one we see in the picture with the baby in his arms.
Martin, who is also the father of three children, said a few moving words:
"I grabbed the baby's forearm and put his body in my arms to warm him, as if he were still alive ... The sun was shining in his friendly but still eyes."
"I started singing to comfort myself and to give some kind of expression to this incomprehensible and heartbreaking moment. Only six hours ago this child was alive."
They also removed from the water another 45 dead and 135 survivors, swelling the list of war victims. It is estimated that over 2,300 people have been drowned so far this year.
Something will have to be done
NGOs are reiterating the need to establish safe and legal ways to prevent migrants and refugees from being forced to choose to risk their lives in search of refuge or a decent life in Europe.
"We can't turn our heads," said Eva Compes, a mother who has been in Lesbos for a month at the hands of Doctors of the World. He told us about very hard stories in which children and women are always the most vulnerable.
We leave you a video of UNICEF created precisely to create awareness about these stories that are not made for children, but unfortunately live them.
