Children are always the innocent victims of war. The Israeli attacks on the Palestinians in the occupied territories have rendered a large number of Palestinian children victims of mental ill-health. According to an Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, half of those killed in the recent Israeli incursion in Gaza were noncombatants, many among them being children. The constant sight of bloodshed, violence and death, many of the victims being their own playmates has made a large number of Palestinian children victims of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with rise in symptoms of bedwetting, nightmares, fear and clinging behavior. Domestic violence and violent behavior among children is also on the rise.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, which works with the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, appointed an emergency mental health team and counselors to talk to the Palestinian children. The humanitarian aid arm of the EU along with the Italian and French National Committees of Unicef have allocated significant fund to support UNICEF’s five emergency sociological teams. With most of the Palestinians being unemployed, food and water shortage, poor education system and inadequate health care are adversely affecting the mental and physical health of the Palestinian children. Rise in poverty is causing rise of child labor in the occupied territory. In 2007 alone 37,500 Palestinian children in the occupied territory participated in Unicef sponsored group counseling sessions, 1,200 of them participated in individual sessions and over 18,000 care givers participated in parenting sessions.
In fact, mental normalcy has been difficult to be achieved in Palestine for nearly three generations. The parents of today’s Palestinian children were victims of the first intifada and their parents in turn were victims of the first Arab-Israeli war. To make situations worse for the children since the beginning of this intifada in September 2000, over 2500 children have been arrested. Palestinian child prisoners are forced to live in inhumane conditions in overcrowded and filthy cells in Israel. Often children are placed in solitary confinement cells measuring 1.5 square meters. Children in prisons do not receive sufficient food to meet their nutritional requirements. They are prevented from going to the toilet at their will and are not allowed a change of clothing.
Childhood has been stolen from the children of Palestine and they are forced into early adulthood.
Via: AlJazeera
Comments
I appreciate the article about other effects (ie. non physical) of war. Living in a war zone effects more than just the physical safety of the citizens, but also their mental safety. And it is very true that the rate of violent crime, against your own (beating family members, rape, breaking and entering, etc.) all rise in war time. When you can’t control the outside world, there is a natural tendency to control your own personal world - even at the expense of others.
That all said, I find the article to be rather one sided. The Palestinian children are not the only victims of this war. The children of Sderot (the Israeli city that is under constant bombardment by Palestinian launched rockets) come quickly to mind as another set of victims here.
Additionally, if Hammas and Hezbollah would stop using children as human shields and stop training them to fight (and throw rocks, etc.), there would be far fewer child prisoners.