By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Syria's 22-month-long civil war has created a refugee crisis of historic proportions that threatens to destabilize countries in the Middle East and has far outpaced the ability of foreign governments and global relief agencies to respond, says a top U.N. official.
"In terms of the overall numbers, it is very clear the region is facing a humanitarian disaster that is deepening by the day," said Sharon Waxman, a member of the International Rescue Committee's Commission on Syrian Refugees who visited Syrian refugees in November.
"Even if this civil war comes to a swift end, the humanitarian crisis is almost certain to last for years given the scale of the displacement, the destruction and the risk of ongoing sectarian violence and regional instability."
