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The trauma of war
Every conflict forces
children
to live through some terrible experiences. Indeed, millions
of A children
have been present at events far beyond the worst nightmares of most adults. In
Sarajevo,
where
almost one child in four has been wounded in the conflict, UNICEF conducted
a survey of 1,505
children
in the summer of 1993. It found that 97 per cent of the A children
had experienced shelling nearby, 29 per cent felt 'unbearable sorrow', and 20 per cent had terrifying
dreams. Some 55 per cent had been shot at by snipers, and 66 per cent had been in a situation where they
thought they would die.39
Another survey in 1995 in Angola found that 66 per cent of children
had seen people being
murdered, 91 per cent had seen dead bodies, and 67 per cent had seen people being tortured, beaten or
hurt. In all, more than two thirds of
children
had lived through events in which they had defied
death 40
Photo:
Children are at particular risk from malnutrition because of war. A study in a
war zone attributed only 2 per cent of deaths to violence; most are caused by the interaction
of malnutrition and infection. C
This type of experience can produce a range of symptoms. After the genocide
in
Rwanda
in
1994, Dr. Albert Nambaje, clinical psychologist at the National Trauma Recovery Centre, reported:
"Among the symptoms manifested by
children
are nightmares, difficulty in concentrating,
depression and a sense of hopelessness about the future.' The UN Commission on Human Rights'
Special Rapporteur on former Yugoslavia similarly reports on interviews with children
:
"Memories of the event remain with them causing extreme nightmares, daily intrusive flashbacks of
the traumatic events, fear, insecurity and bitterness.' "41
It is universally true that horrific experiences are so deeply disturbing, so overwhelming, that a child will
try to suppress bad memories rather than confront them. But many trauma researchers believe that it is
the repression of memories and feelings that is at the heart of trauma suffering in both the short and
long
term.
Time does not heal trauma. A child must be helped to express suffering and to confront bad memories
0
with the support and guidance of an empathetic and informed adult. The very act of talking or writing
about, or even acting out, traumatic events is a way for a child to begin healing and start on the road tó
1 of 2
4/20/99 6:29 PM
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