We’ve all seen the viral image of Omran Daqneesh as he sat silently in the ambulance. While Omran survived the airstrike in Aleppo, Syria, his brother recently died due to injuries from the attack. Even as this picture became the global symbol of the ongoing catastrophe in Syria, the majority of the world still seemed to turn a blind eye.

The U.N. estimates that 6.6 million are internally displaced, and more than 11 million have been killed or forced to flee their homes making this one of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Include families, home, school and friends on the list of things Syrian children have lost, who account for more than 50 percent of Syrian refugees according to Mercy Corps.

The situation of these children isn’t unique. Children all around the world have lost everything when their lives have barely begun. According to a report by UNICEF, child soldier recruitment is on the rise in South Sudan as 650 children have been recruited into armed groups since the beginning of 2016. Since December 2013--the beginning of the crisis in South Sudan--16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups and armed forces.

Ever since violence erupted in Yemen, 21.2 million now need humanitarian assistance out of the 26 million population total according to BBC. A UNICEF email stated that most recently, seven children were killed, and 21 injured, when airstrikes hit their school building while they studied. Air strikes often destroying infrastructure and restrictions on imports make it for Yemen citizens to access life-sustaining commodities and basic services. With increasing violence, normal life is out of the question for children in Yemen. The U.N. recorded that just under half of Yemen’s population is under 18 and at least 505 children were among those 2,577 killed between March and October last year.

Majority of the children in areas of conflict are suffering from malnutrition and hunger due to lack of access to safe water and food. Such conflicts only increase the portion of children who grow up hungry, accounting to the estimated 800 million people across the globe that don’t have enough food to eat every day. Poor nutrition causes 45 percent of deaths in children under 5, affecting 3.1 million children per year according to Mercy Corps.

South Sudan Risks Losing an Entire Generation of Children- UNICEF

• 5.1 million kids’ lives are jeopardized
• 237,000 face acute malnutrition this year
• 413,000 children can’t go to school. Over half of all South Sudanese children are out of school - the country has the highest proportion of out of school children in the world;
• Around 900,000 children have been internally displaced;
• More than 13,000 children are missing, have been separated from their families or are
  unaccompanied;
• 250,000 children are facing severe acute malnutrition.

These violations are:

• Recruiting and use of children in armed forces or armed groups,
• Killing and maiming of children,
• Attacks against schools or hospitals,
• Rape and other forms of sexual violence,
• Abduction of children, and
• Denial of humanitarian access to children.

Children in Yemen--humanitarian catastrophe:

• 4 out of 5 Yeminis now in need of aid
• Attacks on schools and hospitals have doubled, total 115
• Recent figures show 900 children were killed
• Child recruitment increased by five times
• Children represent around one-third of all civilians killed and close to a quarter of those injured
• Last November, 8, 875 reports of human rights violations were verified- an average of 43 a day.
• 14.4 million considered food insecure --7.7 considered severely food insecure
• 1.3 million acutely malnourished, 320,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition
• More than half a million children are severely malnourished.

Syria's Children

• More than half of Syrian refugees are under 18
• 2 million children have fled to neighboring countries
• More than 8.4 million Syrian children are need of humanitarian aid
• Children in Syria and neighboring countries have been put at risk due to unrelenting violence, crumbling infrastructure, ruined schools and hospitals and shortages of essential supplies.
• Most children have been out of school for months, if not years.
• In Jordan, where more than half a million Syrian refugees are living, water scarcity is a national challenge

Conflict in Columbia

UNICEF reported that since 2013, when peace talks began between the government and the main armed opposition, more than 250,000 children have been affected during the conflict.

According to United Nations and national data:

• Over 230,000 children were displaced
• An estimated 1,000 children were used or recruited by non-state armed groups during the same period
• At least 75 children were killed and another 180 injured
• Nearly 130 children were killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance
• At least 180 children were victims of sexual violence
• 65 schools were damaged by fighting or used for military purposes
• At least 10 teachers were killed

Central African Republic Children

• 2 million children threatened by conflict
• These children endured a year without basic services
• Lack safe water, food and health care
• More than two-thirds can no longer go to school
• Lives at risk from violence, disease and malnutrition

Conflict in Gaza

• Violence in Gaza has left a severe impact on children
• In the summer of 2014, more than 500 children were killed and thousands injured.
• Today, 300,000 children still need emotional and psychological support
• Basic needs such as food, water and education remain significant

Violence in Iraq

• Children across Iraq are under siege. Armed groups have targeted them and their families.
• Some confront acute shortages of food and water.
• Schools have closed
• Hospitals supplies are declining
• An estimated 3.3 million Iraqis — half of them children — have fled their homes in since January 2014.
• Approximately 4.7 million children need immediate lifesaving assistance
• Children also risk separation from their parents, injury from improvised explosive devices, and exploitation and child trafficking.

From the recurring image Omran, I’m reminded of how much the world doesn’t care enough for these lives. The western world perceives these conflicts as not a concern to them because there aren't any western lives at stake here. It’s not about wanting to change Facebook profile pictures to increase awareness. Empathy and outrage aren’t enough. We need action and need the world to give because these conflicts are only growing and becoming worse. What will it take for the world to see that the real problems lie where the children's lives are at risk and where help is needed most. Help children in crisis here.