Refugee crisis challenges conscience of the West

The picture of the drowned three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi lying on a Turkish beach on Wednesday drew worldwide attention to the massive refugee crisis engulfing Europe and the ongoing turbulence in North Africa and West Asia.

The heartrending scene should never have happened. Yet his death is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the humanitarian crisis resulting from armed conflicts and social unrest in countries such as Syria, Libya and Iraq.

According to United Nations' estimates, to date more than 300,000 refugees and migrants have ventured across the Mediterranean into Europe this year, with some 2,500 people perishing on the way.