Meet Malak, a 5-year-old girl from Syria.
In December 2015 Malak was at home, playing with her brother and sisters and eating sweets, when her house was bombed in an air strike.
The building shook with a frightening boom. Shards of metal and debris shot through the air.
One of Malak's legs was fractured, the other blown off. Her brother was blinded and severely burned; her 8-month-old sister died in hospital.
Every year, tens of thousands of civilians, including children like Malak, are killed and injured by the use of explosive weapons* in populated areas like towns and cities. A shocking 92% of the victims of these attacks are innocent civilians.
Sadly, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is all too common in ongoing conflicts, including in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ukraine. In Syria alone, more than 2 million children are at risk, living in fear of bombing attacks and unexploded weapons left behind like deadly buried treasure.
Urgent action is needed to protect civilians! Sign the petition below to demand justice for children like Malak and her family:
*Explosive weapons include aerial bombs, rockets, mortars, shells, landmines, cluster bombs and improvised explosive devices.
To Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson,
I call on the UK and all states worldwide to:
- Publicly commit to ending the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas and take the lead in influencing other states to do the same
- Fully implement the treaties banning landmines and cluster munitions without delay and promote them to non-signatory states
- Contribute funds towards assisting the victims, clearing weapons in affected zones, and preventing further injuries and deaths.
Stop bombing civilians now!
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
