Protecting Civilians

Stop Assad’s attacks on civilian targets like hospitals, markets, and schools. 

WHAT CAN WE DO?

• Stop Assad’s attacks on civilians by enforcing UN-mandated ceasefires or implementing No-Fly Zones to ensure areas are safe from bombing.
• Sanction those who are committing war crimes or who are materially supporting Assad’s war machine (H.R. 31/S. 52).
• Allow the office of U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to fund the reinforcement of underground hospitals, which is shown to save lives. This currently falls between the cracks of emergency response and development aid (H.Res. 395). 

BACKGROUND

The Assad regime and its allies, especially Russia and Iranian-backed proxies, continue to bomb and besiege civilian populations. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that of 85 percent of deaths in Syria are attributable to Assad and his international backers.  These attacks have triggered mass population displacement — more than half the country’s population has been forced to leave their homes. 

The regime’s most common targets include hospitals, schools, and places of worship. More than 63 percent of destroyed churches in Syria were destroyed by pro-Assad forces. Sometimes, attacks include chemical weapons, like sarin or barrel bombs packed with chlorine gas. There have been at least 300 documented chemical attacks in Syria since 2013. Evidence ties at least 98 percent of responsibility for these attacks to pro-Assad forces.