Syrian Children's Art on Display in Shanghai Shows Impact of War

A non-governmental organization (NGO) in China opened an exhibition in Shanghai this week of paintings by Syrian children to raise awareness about the migrant crisis in the country.

The Chinese Initiative on International Law, an independent NGO, obtained the paintings when its founder Liu Yiqiang and his team researched Syrian refugees in Greece and Turkey.

Migration flows are not new, but a wave of more than 1 million migrants last year prompted bitter divisions among European countries over how to share responsibility for them.

After a request from a refugee center, Liu's team brought 50 paintings by Syrian children back to China and put 30 of them on display in Shanghai on Monday.

Liu said there will be a charity auction for the paintings in October. Funds raised from the auction will be donated to a special project which aims to educate young people in doing charitable work.