The Last Image of Aylan on the Seashore

Aylan Kurdi was a 3-year-old boy whose family, like millions of other Syrian citizens, sought to escape the war. A war that has now entered its fifth year, leaving over 250,000 victims and 10 million displaced. This war is considered one of the main factors behind the 'largest wave of refugees' in Europe since the end of World War II. Senior UN officials continue to warn about its 'deterioration.' This war has turned Syria into a stronghold for extremist groups that U.S. officials describe as a threat 'beyond anything seen before.' However, this war and its resulting crises now have a hero who is no longer alive, but the last images taken of him have been shared across global and local media, as well as social networks, almost worldwide. Aylan's lifeless body was found on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea after the human traffickers' boat he and his family were on capsized. Aylan's image on the Mediterranean shore may become one of the most enduring images in public memory for years; the last image of a Syrian child. But the question now dominating social media and campaigns, and being asked by civil and social activists, is whether this last image of Aylan, lifeless on the seashore, will mark the beginning of the end of suffering for children like him. A YouTube film featuring images of the Syrian child before his displacement, one of the designs published on Twitter, and many reactions on social media have been filled with anger and criticism. The image of the lifeless Syrian child on the front pages of newspapers reflects a day when the world was shocked.