As the Syrian boy's death draws mixed reactions from European countries on the urgency of coming to an agreement on sheltering refugees among themselves, Turkey's President Erdoğan criticizes Europe for failing to address the refugees' issue
A little Syrian boy, who washed up on the shore of Turkey's resort of Bodrum, evidently died trying to reach Canada with his family and shocked the world, but was unable to change Europe's attitude towards the refugee crisis.
The 3-year-old boy, Aylan Kurdi, found lying face-down on the beach was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned heading from Turkey to reach Greece.
The image of the lifeless body of the little boy unfolds the full horror of the biggest human tragedy since World War II.
As European leaders increasingly try to prevent refugees from settling in the continent by strengthening their anti-refugee laws, the image reminds humanity once again that more and more refugees are dying in their desperation to flee persecution and reach safety.
Though the pictures and the tragedy they convey had shaken the World, as hundreds of thousands expressed their solidary to Syrian refugees and called on world leaders to find an urgent solution to the crisis.
Aylan, his brother, mother and six other Syrians drowned while they were seeking what anyone does- what hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violence want- a guarantee for their life, a safe home, a better future.
He was just one of thousands who have died this year trying to reach Europe by sea, fleeing war and conflict in their home countries.
Abdullah Kurdi, the defatted father, who will bury his wife and sons in the Syrian town of Kobani, called on the global community to do more for the persecuted people.
“We want the world's attention on us, so that they can prevent the same from happening to others," said 40-year-old Kurdi. “My kids have to be the wake-up call to the whole world."
The distraught father, Abdullah, said he had been making the treacherous journey with his family to Europe in the hope of joining his sister, Teema Kurdi, a hairdresser living in Canada for more than 20 years.
Abdullah had reportedly applied for refugee asylum in Canada, but the immigration authority rejected his application because “it did not meet regulatory requirements for proof of refugee status recognition."
The family was originally from Damascus, the Syrian capital, and fled from northern town of Kobane into Turkey after it came under repeated attack by ISIL militants this year, Teema said.
"They didn't deserve to die, they didn't. They were going for a better life. That shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened to them," she said at a press conference, before breaking down in tears.
The father said the 5 meter-long dinghy boat capsized one hour into the journey. The family clung to the boat after it capsized. Abdullah tried to hold his two children and wife with his arm, but one by one they were washed away by waves.
Many western governments, including Canada and the UK, have come under fire for not taking more refugees, as well as not finding a better solution of the crisis.
News organizations across the world published a variety of iterations of the image of the boy, with many expressing editorial outrage at the perceived inaction of developed nations to help refugees.
Social media users launched a campaign using #welcomerefugees, while many blame European leaders, who still vow to an unchanged refugee policy, for the death.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond had been criticized for the "dehumanizing" language they use regarding the refugee crisis.
Cameron earlier this week described refugees coming to the UK as a “swarm", and added he would not “allow people to break into" his country while Hammond said refugees were “marauding" around Calais.
The UK PM expressed his satisfaction over his government's actions to the refugee crisis saying, “We're doing enough."
An online petition was launched in the UK urging Prime Minister David Cameron to accept more asylum seekers.
On Friday
. "Today I can announce that we will do more in providing resettlement for thousands more Syrian refugees," UK PM told reporters in Lisbon after meeting his Portuguese counterpart.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, which has taken nearly 2 million of Syria's estimated 4 million refugees, criticized Europe for its failure to address the refugees wave and the conflicts behind it.
He accused the Western countries, especially the European Union, of bickering over the distribution of immigrants, while neighboring nations like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon are take in millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq and beyond.
the Turkish president said. “It is not only immigrants who are drowning in the Mediterranean, it is also our humanity."
Thousands are making the same journey from Turkey to Greece's easternmost islands each day. It is considered one of the safest routes to Europe and beyond.
The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, says the number crossing the Mediterranean has now exceeded 300,000 this year.
Questions are raised, if all these gruesome incidents on the Mediterranean beach don't change Europe's attitude to refugees, what will?
