When will the bloodshed of innocent civilians in Syria come to an end? Why should innocent Syrian civilians have to pay the price for violence that has been prevalent in the country since the uprising against President Bashar al Assad? The humanitarian crisis in Syria is at its worst as civilians are being left without basic human needs due to limited funds.
A United Nations aid official recently called for political leaders to stand up and take notice of the slaughter that is occurring in Syria, stating that despite it being three years into the conflict the situation has worsened. He said: "The valid question to ask those political leaders is ... how many poor people will you accept to be killed before you do something different? It's 5,000 a month at the moment and it's over 150,000 already. Is it 200,000? Is it a quarter of a million? Is it a million people?"
Political leaders around the world need to take decisive action in order for innocent victims of the crisis to be given the justice they deserve and the appropriate humanitarian assistance. It is unjustifiable to allow civilians as young as newborn babies to undergo this suffering. Human Rights Watch reported that over one hundred civil society groups from around the world issued a statement on May 15th 2014 calling for the United Nations Security Council to approve a resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The violation of human rights is clearly evident due to the continued bloodshed of the Syrian people over the last three years. Despite the prevalence of human right violations no political leader or authorities have taken any decisive action to implement the need for accountability for the continued human rights crimes.
There are many obstacles that we need to overcome in order to expose the intolerances of governments and the many accounts of human rights violations that remain in the world today. Powerful states continually manipulate the law and try their best to conceal their crimes from international criticism for their own political advantage, however when crimes are being done openly leaders need to take action to make those accountable be brought to justice.
The 2009 Interim Secretary General of Amnesty International, Claudio Cordone, emphasised the importance of accountability of violation of human rights in a statement and said,
"Ensuring accountability is important because, first and foremost, those who have suffered harm have a right to truth and justice. Accountability also allows us to look ahead. It provides a measure of deterrence for those who commit crimes, and it provides a basis on which to build reforms of state and international institutions. Efficient and effective mechanisms for accountability can help states make better policies and laws, and monitor their impact on people's lives."
The atrocities taking place in Syria on both sides have heightened due to the fact that there is no one held accountable for the violation of human rights. The International Criminal Court can therefore provide a means of investigating and prosecuting those held responsible for the crisis in Syria and give innocent civilians the justice that they deserve.