On Monday, December 13, journalists and citizens of Aleppo, Syria began to post heart breaking videos on social media discussing their impending deaths as the city was taken over by rebels against the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. Even knowing of previous human rights violations, I still held out hope that in a globalized world, citizens of developed countries would care enough to push their governments to fight against dictators. Unfortunately, my assumptions do not hold up.

According to BBC, the Syrian government opened fire on protesters in March of 2011. As expected, more protesters called out for the resignation of Al-Assad, who ordered such drastic measures. First elected in 2001, Al-Assad continued as Syria’s president throughout the next three elections, winning a clear majority of the votes. Although, government sources claim the elections represent democracy, citizens of Syria took to protesting for a clear violation of their freedoms and rights. After the initial protests, civil war broke out and the government resorted to using chemical weapons in the city of Damascus. Rebel groups began to fight against the government’s control of their cities and in August 2015, the UN claimed over 250,000 people had died due to conflict.

The conflict in Syria does not just impact Syria, but affects the vast refugee crisis in the Mediterranean. As the government forces approached people’s homes, citizens began to escape to nearby areas, including Turkey, the United States, and Canada. As they escaped the violence of their home, the refugees did not walk into welcoming conditions. Countries such as Germany passed laws to allow a large group of refugees in, but even if the government supported such measures, it could not force its citizens to do the same. In the United Kingdom, the plight of refugees came at the same time as nationalist movements. Political groups such as United Kingdom Independence Party encouraged UK citizens to take back their country, passing Brexit to do so. In the United States, the number of Syrian refugees allotted increased but many active political members spoke out against it. Donald Trump Jr. outwardly used Syrian refugees for fear mongering — suggesting the likelihood of jihadis posing as refugees to gain entrance into the United States — and Donald Trump’s campaign stood by his side. Throughout the western world, many people seem to believe that ISIL members can pose as refugees. In fact, that is far from the truth; the screening process for refugees takes months and maybe even years before a refugee can leave their home country.

Canada stands out as a success story for Syrian refugees. The government passed an initiative to resettle Syrians with Canadian families, allowing them to assimilate slowly and successfully. Other countries should take Canada’s lead and incorporate refugees into society, allowing them to positively impact the country’s future.

No matter the actions of individual countries, critics still argue over allowing refugees to enter a country. People ask why a country would invite foreigners when that country cannot even provide benefits for its people. Others may argue that allowing refugees into a country makes it vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Either way, society cannot place the refugee crisis into the an area of black and white; it exists in a grey space, and all humans deserve the fundamental right to safety.

Americans learn about crises of humanity in history class and watch them unfold in documentaries, but in real life, they falter. Refugees should not face hatred in the countries they migrate to. Instead, they deserve a welcoming population who understands their trouble. No matter what, the actions taken by the government and ordinary civilians should focus on human rights and helping those who can not live in their home country without a constant fear of death.