Syrian Children Forage Through Trash to Survive

“My father was a taxi driver, and his car was our source of living, and he was once beaten by the police before us because they accused him of joining the Free Army, and they then found out that he was innocent of this charge. My father became too afraid to leave home, he feared that if he did, he might be accused again or get taken at army checkpoints. I must work so we can eat.”

You used to get reports like this from Central America in the 80s. Left-wingers would explain that this is what drives the people to revolution. But the American ambassador would announce that things were perfectly safe and clean in the centre of town where he lived, and all the problems were down to the Russian-backed terrorists in the countryside. The names change, but the song remains the same.
I suspect that Raef's father has not just been beaten and tortured, and is terrified of leaving the house. The longer Assad is able to cling to power, the crazier a country Syria will become.