Hansard

I thank John Wilson for bringing this timely debate to our chamber. As we all break for Christmas and think about having time with our families and children, maybe we should reflect on some of the children who face hardship in the world.

UNICEF says that Syria is now one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child. It is now in the midst of winter. Inside and outside Syria, 7.5 million children need humanitarian aid, 2.6 million are no longer in school and 2 million are living in refugee camps around Syria. Some children who are under five know nothing other than a war zone, nothing other than fleeing across land and sea from war zones and nothing other than life in a refugee camp. For some, long journeys across land and sea take their childhood, and for many children, such journeys take their lives.

I am concerned about the language that is being used. We are conflating the security of our nations with the Syrian refugee crisis. That is a dangerous and disturbing move.

The bombs that are used in the air strikes that John Wilson spoke about are called Brimstones. To me, brimstone is sulphur—a chemical element that can be put in fires. One dictionary defines it as “hell’s fire”. Each Brimstone bomb costs £100,000. Calling them smart bombs does not make them sexy or palatable at all.

The young people of whom I have spoken either flee hell’s fire or die in hell’s fire. We see that happen every day after the bombers go out to do their job. What do we hear from the supporters of war? They talk about collateral damage. When they say the words “collateral damage”, I say, “Men, women, children; Homs, Kobanî, Yazidis.” Such dehumanisation of people will be the catalyst for generations of radicalised young people who have no other outlet to address that fear and intimidation.

The case for diplomatic intervention has not been progressed. The UK Government has not advanced that at all, but it should do so—in all areas. Bombing will never bring a resolution to the problem. Whether we are talking about dodgy dossiers or the Prime Minister’s claims about 70,000 ground troops, such claims turn to dust under any scrutiny whatsoever. As many have said, air strikes do not help the situation and certainly do not hinder Daesh.

Magnus Wennman, who is a photographer, has spent time with children who were fleeing war zones. I will read an extract from his exhibition:

“Shehd used to be playful, she especially loved to draw. But her mother soon noticed a common theme in her sketches: weapons.

‘She saw them all the time’ ... Shehd and her family now live on the Hungarian border. They pick food from the nearby trees. The family said if they’d known how difficult their journey would have been—they would have risked their lives to stay in Syria, despite Islamic State.”

Not in my name, not in our Parliament’s name and certainly not in my country’s name.