Protecting children from the ravages of war

A U.N. study recognizes the psychological needs of child victims of war.

By Sara Martin
Monitor staff

In Uganda?s northern district of Gulu, the Lord?s Resistance Army abducts children en masse from schools. They sell the girls into sex slavery or make them 'soldiers? wives.' They teach the boys to be killers.

At the International Congress, psychologist Mike Wessells, PhD, told the story of a boy who tried to escape from this enslavement but failed. The commanders grabbed him, told the other boy soldiers to form a circle around him and ordered them to begin kicking him. Anyone who didn?t participate would be placed in the circle next.

'No one knew who dealt the death blow,' said Wessells, a psychology professor at Randolph-Macon College who does humanitarian work in Africa.

The next time an escapee was caught, the children were ordered to take turns running him through with bayonets. 'It?s not all that uncommon,' said Wessells. 'Children are thrown increasingly into war, into armed conflict.'

And after repeated exposure to it, these children of war become quite accustomed to the violence that has taken hold of their lives, he said. 'Some even find excitement in their duties and new identities.'

At a session on armed conflict and children?s rights, Wessells detailed the plight of children in the world?s war zones as revealed by the findings of a recently completed United Nations study, led by Graca Machel of Mozambique, now married to Nelson Mandela.

The study examined the impact war has on children, families and communities. It estimated that worldwide, 250,000 children serve as soldiers. In addition, large numbers of children witness violence, including the killing of their parents and the destruction of their communities. And many are victimized directly by attacks and displaced.

Grisly findings

No area of children?s lives is untouched by war, according to the U.N. study results. Disrupted transportation systems can?t bring in food, medicines and supplies. Crops can?t be sown into lands littered with unexploded landmines, which number 100 million to 110 million worldwide. 'The result is chronic malnutrition, dysentery and the rampant spread of such diseases as malaria and cholera,' he said.

In addition to physical challenges, children suffer severe psychological trauma. Many lose their homes, their schools and, most importantly, their families. The study found that worldwide, there were 27 million refugees and 30 million internally displaced people, Wessells reported. About half of them are children, vulnerable to every kind of exploitation.

Particularly vulnerable are unaccompanied children?those who have lost or have been separated from their parents or other adult caregivers. Young girls are often sexually abused and their psychological desperation increases when, as a result of the abuse, their culture views them as 'damaged goods,' he said.

And, often, children become active participants in combat, firing weapons, serving as spies and being used as pawns to detonate mines. In some regions, girls as well as boys are put into combat. In Ethiopia, for example, 25 percent of the troops are girls, said Wessells. 'New weapon technologies make any person of a reasonable stature an effective warrior,' he said.

A call to action

In addition to documenting the problems war creates for children, the study also called for action. Quite significantly for a U.N. study, said Wessells, the researchers recognized that psychological interventions for these children are essential, noting that the trauma, depression and anxiety they experience in war heightens their risk for disease.

The overarching theme of the study?s recommendations, Wessells said, is that relief interventions must be holistic, looking at psychological, economic, spiritual and political factors. Along those lines, relief work should be done by integrated teams. 'There shouldn?t be one group for relief, one for development, then one that does long-term integration; that leads to fragmenta-tion?.Solutions must also be geared toward transforming the violence for the long term,' he said.

According to Wessells, the study has several implications for psychologists and relief workers:

? Be wary of cultural imperialism. While most people welcome the expertise psychologists and others bring, 'that expertise is steeped in a certain cosmology and cultural values that may not mesh with the realities and beliefs of local people,' said Wessells. Instead of taking a paternalistic approach, relief workers should engage the community in a process of mutual learning and allow the local people to define their own needs.

? Increase efforts to help refugees and displaced children reunite with their families. Helping to rebuild families is crucial to easing people?s psychological trauma, but it?s not always done. In Angola, for example, the government built several orphanages, said Wessells, but that didn?t make sense because there were extended families who could have cared for the children. 'The emphasis should have been on documentation, tracing and reintegration,' he said. Psychologists contributed to the effort to urge the government to do this, and to its credit, the Angola government has, Wessells said.

? Help reintegrate child soldiers into society. Psychologically, it?s not enough to simply sign a peace treaty, bring home child soldiers and release them into society, said Wessells. 'How will they survive if they have developed their identities as soldiers?' he asked. Relief workers must first provide them with education and jobs.

? When appropriate, use culturally grounded, local resources. Western psychologists don?t think much about it, he said, but in Sub-Saharan Africa, the spirit is at the center of people?s existence. In Angola, for example, a child who has killed has broken the bonds with his ancestors. The cultural belief is that such a child cannot re-enter his community because he will bring his contamination with him, Wessells explained. Without conducting a purification ritual, these children will experience profound stress.

? Give support to adults and caregivers. While humanitarian aid is crucial for children themselves, psychologists and others must also help the adults and caregivers because children rely on them for their psychological development. 'The bottom line is that children want to know, ?Why did you allow this to happen? What happened to me??' said Wessells. 'Adults have to be in a position to give some support and to help construct meaning in difficult circumstances.'

? Use community-based approaches. In most war zones, he said, there simply aren?t enough psychologists to make a difference on the scale that is needed. As a result, he emphasized, interventions must be focused on communities, building their capacities to heal and construct a positive future.