Demand the UN investigate Russia's use of cluster bombs in Syria

The smells, sights and sounds of an open-air market in Syria: Men and woman shouting out their wares, bargains being struck and children tugging at mums dress begging for treats. A picture of normality, peace and safety - even if surrounded by the chaos and death of war, they were places where the war and the violence could be forgotten as people attempt to get on with their lives, the best they can.

These markets and other civilian area’s area’s are now scenes reminiscent of an apocalypse. Body parts litter the streets, the smell of death thick and lingering in the smoke from long smouldering fires. Places where the innocents could forget the war for a short while, are now their graveyards.

Schools where children thought they were safe, hospitals were the wounded thought they would get care, post offices changed to bakeries to feed the hungry, have all fallen target to Russia’s bombs.

Russia is killing innocent civilians, slaughtering men woman and children in Syria that have nothing to do with the armed conflict. Not only are they doing nothing to avoid killing civilians or bombing civilian areas, they also appear to be using cluster bombs and actively targeting non-military targets, and at the same time lying to hide their deaths.

Russia claims that they are running a targeted campaign against the Islamic State, but the very definition of cluster munition makes this an outright lie. Cluster bombs release many small bomblets over a large area, and their indiscriminate effects means it is impossible to limit fatalities to any population group or targeted individuals.

This should be enough to launch an independent investigation by the UN, but until now outrage has been confined to human rights groups, activists, the civilians themselves and humanitarian workers on the ground. Something needs to be done, and Russia cannot be trusted to do it.

As mothers, fathers sons and daughters, we must stand in solidarity with our fellow humans - the mothers, fathers sons and daughter’s who are being killed just for living in Syria. That is their only crime, living in Syria while a destructive war rages around them.

I am putting up my hand, I am shouting from the rooftops. I am demanding that the UN launches a full investigation into Russia’s indiscriminate bombing and the use of cluster bombs. Please join me.

My heart breaks at the thought of children, limp doll in one hand, and the other wiping tears from their eyes as they stand confused and devastated above dead parents, who will never hold or feed them again. My heart breaks when these same children are also smashed to pieces moments later by a Russian bomb. I hope your heart breaks too.

Who is standing with me? Who is going to scream as loud as they can?

Demand that the United Nations High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein does something to stop this slaughter, starting with a full investigation into Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria.