Conflict, terrorism, and disasters: The psychosocial consequences for children

Abstract

Society expresses great repugnance when the media reports children's involvement in violence and disaster and particularly so if they are the perpetrators (Meyer 2007). But, families are now in the front line of war, conflict and terrorism, as well as disasters as a result of paradigm shifts in the nature of conflict and war (Greenacre 1942; Smith 2005) and growth of terror as a weapon. There are opinions that civilians, including children, are now deliberate targets. Employing children as soldiers continues, but is not new. Furthermore, resident and displaced populations, refugees, and famine-affected peoples are caught up in conflict (Tai-Ann Cheng and Chang 1999) and are particularly at risk of the psychosocial consequences of their displacement as well as the events that caused their displacement.