Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, over a quarter million people have lost their lives, well over a million have been injured, and more than half of the prewar population has been displaced (in many cases more than one time). At the same time, humanitarian assistance inside Syria virtually vanished due to fighting, aerial attacks, kidnapping, and restrictions on the flow of aid.
In this report, CIVIC focuses on survival strategies in opposition-held areas, where civilians had been subjected to near constant bombardment. Despite the mounting civilian casualties over the years, the international community has struggled to develop a coherent and effective strategy to protect civilians from attacks, which only increased when Russia started its own bombing campaign in support of the Syrian government in September 2015.