The fragility of human destiny

However, the greatest suffering and despair will undoubtedly fall directly on the shoulders of ordinary citizens. They are simply the most vulnerable in any crisis.

It can be said that 2023 was the year the world witnessed the most suffering in decades, as humanity experienced numerous major crises, from natural disasters and climate change to economic recession and, especially, the devastating wars waged by humankind.

Scenes of devastation following the historic earthquake in Türkiye earlier this year. Photo: Reuters

One war, a million sorrows

As the world prepared to enter the final month of 2023, tragedy reached its peak. This was the devastating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which claimed thousands of civilian lives from bombs and rockets just weeks after the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted.

Even the head of the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, exclaimed: “ We are witnessing a killing of civilians unprecedented in any conflict since I became Secretary-General .” This was when he heard about the escalating deaths of children in Gaza, including premature babies trapped in hospitals.

As of November 20th, over 13,300 Palestinians had been killed in the fighting, including at least 5,600 children and 3,550 women. Prior to that, at least 1,200 Israelis were executed in a surprise Hamas attack on July 10th – the trigger for Israel's full-scale war on Gaza. Coupled with the fact that most of Israel's 2.3 million citizens have lost their homes and almost everything, the suffering caused by the war is immeasurable.

A woman weeps in front of her home, devastated by the earthquake, in the ancient city of Marrakesh, Morocco. AFP

Save these young sprouts!

Weather-related disasters have displaced 43.1 million children internally across 44 countries over the past six years, equivalent to approximately 20,000 children displaced every day – according to a UNICEF analysis published in October 2023. This is the first global analysis of the number of children displaced from their homes between 2016 and 2021 due to floods, storms, droughts, and bushfires.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “It is terrifying for any child when a devastating bushfire, storm or flood sweeps into their community… We must step up our efforts to prepare communities, protect children at risk of displacement and support those who have already been forced to leave their homes.”

Analysis shows that the East Asia and Pacific region saw approximately 19 million children displaced by weather-related disasters between 2016 and 2021, accounting for over 44% of the global total. The majority of child displacements in East Asia and the Pacific were due to floods, displacing over 12 million people, and storms, resulting in the evacuation of over 6 million.

According to the aforementioned UNICEF report, Vietnam, along with other countries in the region such as China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, is among the top 10 countries with the highest number of displaced children due to natural disasters, climate change, and other issues.

A child protects himself from heavy rain with a plastic chair. Photo: AFP

Civilians always bear the heaviest consequences of war and conflict, even though they are all innocent. Most prominent politicians around the world, including those from Israel's allies such as the US, France, and Canada, have condemned the killing of so many civilians, especially children, in Gaza; accusing it of being an unacceptable "collective punishment."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared on November 14th: “The world is witnessing the killing of women, children, and infants. This must stop.” Secretary-General Guterres stated: “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are killed or injured every day.” President Joe Biden also bluntly stated regarding Israel’s blockade of the largest hospital in Gaza: “The United States firmly supports the protection of civilians in conflict.”

Clearly, no one wants to compromise or condone the killing of civilians in conflict. But this reality is still unfolding brutally in the wars of 2023, due to the accidental use of bombs and bullets or the excessive hatred of the warring parties?

The tragedy of ordinary people

That tragedy has actually occurred in countless wars throughout human history, but it can be said that only in 2023 did the modern world feel this haunting presence so strongly on a global scale. As is known, 2023 also witnessed the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the largest war in Europe since World War II, entering its second year.

Just about three months after fighting broke out on February 24, 2022, nearly 6 million refugees had fled Ukraine, in addition to approximately 8 million others who were internally displaced. Up to 90% of Ukrainian refugees were women and children, while most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 were fighting in the war. This means that, at that time, almost all of Ukraine's more than 33 million inhabitants were victims of the war.

According to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Office in late November 2023, more than 10,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine in the conflict with Russia since February 2023, with about half of the deaths occurring far from the front lines, and the actual number likely to be “significantly higher”. The war has caused Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Each individual in Ukraine is a tragic story, having lost everything—their possessions, their livelihoods, even loved ones and their future. For anyone not involved in a war, losing something in life is already devastating. Yet, millions of innocent civilians in Ukraine and Gaza have lost it all.

But the suffering of the people is not limited to Gaza, Israel, or Ukraine; it also exists in dozens of other conflict zones where fighting continues day and night throughout 2023. For example, the civil war in Sudan, as of October 2023, has claimed between 9,000 and 10,000 lives and injured between 6,000 and 12,000 others. In addition, more than 4.8 million people have been internally displaced and over 1.3 million have left the country as refugees.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in nearly two years of conflict. Photo: Reuters

The Wrath of Mother Nature

No words or statistics can adequately describe the suffering endured by people during the floods, wildfires, impacts of climate change, and devastating earthquakes that occurred repeatedly around the world in 2023, as if Mother Nature were unleashing her wrath upon humanity.

The historic earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria can be said to have perfectly recreated the apocalyptic imagery seen in science fiction films. An entire area of ​​350,000 square kilometers, equivalent to the size of Germany or Vietnam, was reduced to ashes in an instant. It is estimated that around 14 million people, or 16% of Turkey's population, were affected, and approximately 1.5 million were left homeless.

The confirmed death toll is nearly 60,000 in Türkiye and Syria. This is the deadliest natural disaster in modern Turkish history. It is also the deadliest disaster in Syria since 1822, despite the country having just gone through decades of civil war.

The aftermath of the Turkish earthquake had barely subsided when another disaster struck Libya, as Hurricane Daniel swept away a quarter of the coastal city of Derna. The death toll reached between 18,000 and 20,000 people, equivalent to one-fifth of the city's population. For days after the disaster, people were still searching for the bodies of victims washed ashore. In fact, Hurricane Daniel caused widespread damage across the Mediterranean, affecting Libya, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel – resulting in immeasurable suffering.

Almost immediately after the devastating floods in Libya subsided, another catastrophe struck Morocco in September. An earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains ravaged 2,930 villages with a total population of 2.8 million, killing over 2,900 people; at least 59,674 homes were damaged, 32% of which completely collapsed. Words cannot adequately express the suffering endured by civilians in such horrific disasters.

Of course, 2023 also witnessed countless disasters that dragged millions of others into "hell," both literally and figuratively. Wildfires in Canada, Hawaii, and Greece; devastating earthquakes in Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Philippines; and deadly floods in many countries all claimed the lives or futures of millions.

Four dangers, millions of child victims.

According to the latest research published by the United Nations in October 2023, besides war, here are the top four reasons why children do not have the peaceful lives they deserve:

+ Floods: The 10 countries with the highest number of children displaced by floods, including coastal flooding and flash floods, from 2016 to 2021 are: Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.

+ Storms: The 10 countries with the highest number of children displaced by storms, including tropical storms, cyclones, blizzards, and sandstorms, from 2016 to 2021 are: Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Honduras, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Philippines, the United States, and Vietnam.

+ Drought: Droughts differ from most other hazards in that they develop slowly, sometimes over many years, and their onset is often difficult to detect. The 10 countries with the highest number of children displaced due to drought between 2017 and 2021 were: Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Burundi, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Madagascar, Somalia, and South Sudan.

+ Wildfires: Wildfires can be triggered by lightning or human activity. The 10 countries with the most children displaced by wildfires between 2016 and 2021 were: Australia, Canada, China, France, Greece, Israel, Spain, Syria, Turkey, and the United States.

Much of the tourist city of Lahaina on Maui Island, Hawaii, has been destroyed by wildfires. Photo: AFP

Stop if you can!

Never before has human destiny been so fragile in the modern era as it was in 2023 in particular, and in recent years in general. Everywhere, people are talking about migrants fleeing conflict, natural disasters, and the harmful effects of climate change. Right at the Mexican border, thousands of migrants from various countries have been forced to live in makeshift shelters while waiting to cross into the United States, and thousands have even died or gone missing in house fires or gang attacks.

As of September 2023, at least 2.8 million people had migrated to the United States. Their future remains uncertain, but that represents another 2.8 million acts of suffering that humanity has witnessed in 2023.

2023 was truly a year when the migrant crisis reached its peak, with many countries' borders filled with migrants seeking asylum. Besides the US and Canada, numerous other European countries such as Poland, Finland, Sweden, Spain, and especially Italy were also affected. Thousands of migrants perished in the Mediterranean Sea, amidst the massive influx of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.

A woman weeps in front of her home, devastated by the earthquake, in the ancient city of Marrakesh, Morocco. AFP

Italy alone has seen an "unusually high" number of migrants arriving in Europe this year, with 55,160 people arriving by mid-June. This figure is more than double the 21,884 people who arrived during the same period in 2022. To date, at least 1,039 people are believed to have gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea this year. Overall, the International Organization for Migration has recorded more than 27,000 migrants who have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014.

Thus, after years of instability, 2023 witnessed the fundamental peace of the world being shattered by a series of wars and disasters occurring across continents, causing millions of people to suffer unimaginable pain. Let us feel each of that pain, to understand that the world needs to stop the wars; let us work together to build a greener and more sustainable world. Otherwise, any of us could become the next victim!

Tran Hoa

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/mong-manh-so-phan-con-nguoi-post278856.html