411:Armed Conflict
Author: 411, Save the Children Canada & UNICEF
ONE in FOUR children worldwide live in a dangerous situation.
In the last decade; over two million children haven died due to attacks against civilians or as part of a calculated genocide, over 6 million have been permanently disabled or seriously injured, over 1 million have been orphaned or separated from their families, 12 million have been left homeless as a result of armed conflicts; and countless others have been forced to witness or take part in horrifying acts of violence.
Most of today's wars are not being fought between states, but are civil wars and in many cases religious and ethnic ties are being manipulated to heighten feelings of aggression against civilians including children. Thus children are increasingly targets opposed to incidental casualties of war. Battles being fought within villages and street combat have resulted in the proportion of victims to leap from 5% to over 90% in the last decade - half of these victims being children.
The rapid social change which often precedes or accompanies war leads to a breakdown in the family, government, economic and community support systems which are essential to a child's survival and development. Conflict situations often results in impeded access of civilian populations to humanitarian assistance, causing more children to die from violence, malnutrition, diarrhea, and preventable diseases than as a direct result of fighting. In poor countries where children are already vulnerable to malnutrition and disease, the onset of armed conflict can increase death rates by up to 24 times with those under five years of age at particular risk. Another severe problem which all children and specifically girls face during armed conflicts is a heightened use of rape, sexual humiliation, prostitution and other forms of gender-based violence as a weapon of war.
Consequently, 10 million children worldwide suffer lasting psychological damage as a result of the loss of their families or from exposure to violence, killings, bombings, maiming of parents, siblings and others by soldiers, landmines, horrific beatings and rape. Furthermore many children are consumed by guilt for not being able to prevent or do more angry that the villains got away, or harbor grief and bitterness.
Effects on Children
Children depend on others for care and protection when war or disaster strikes. In any emergency, children are always the most vulnerable - less able to fend for themselves, are at risk of being separated from their families, they are more susceptible to hunger and illness, and risk being recruited to fight adults' wars. In any emergency, one of the first casualties is the healthy development of children.
Children have particular needs in emergencies, which fall into three main categories:
- Material (such as shelter, food and health)
- Developmental (such as schooling and play)
- Emotional (protection and psychological healing)
