Children playing in a street in war-torn Damascus, Syria. Undated photo by Baraa Obied on Pexels.
By Angela Joyce
The brutal reality of wars unfolding in our world, such as the current war in Ukraine, the Iran-Israel-US conflict, or the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reveals that war is never just fought on battlefields. It is fought on every road, in every schoolyard, and in every home.
The latest war news dominates headlines, but behind the scenes, it is ordinary people, civilians, especially children, who suffer most, as seen in cases like that of a 21-month-old child in Gaza who was returned to his family with injuries that doctors said were consistent with torture. Children in war zones suffer lasting emotional, physical, and developmental consequences.
While the global community often counts the visible toll, lives lost, schools destroyed, the wounds of trauma, displacement, and broken trust can follow children growing up in war zones for the rest of their lives.
Trauma, the number one predictor of lifelong struggles for children in war zones
Trauma is one of the most serious challenges facing children living in war zones. While some physical injuries heal or can be managed, the invisible wounds of mental trauma can last a lifetime.
Sadly, mental health is often overlooked, especially in violent areas. Understanding and addressing this trauma is key to helping these children heal and rebuild their lives.
Increasingly, many experts argue that the psychological trauma caused by war should be recognized and treated as a global public health crisis.
One way professionals working with children, such as child protective services, assess the state of a child entering care and how best to provide support is by screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
These screenings include questions like: “Have you ever not had access to food, water or shelter? Have you lost one or more caregivers to illness, prison or divorce? Have you ever experienced violence from a family member? And did you experience unwanted sexual contact with an adult?”
There are 10 questions in total. These questions are used to discern the level of trauma that a child has experienced and are currently being used by social workers and psychologists in U.S.
If a person experiences three or more ACEs, it puts them at a much higher risk for PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, drug use, and many different kinds of physical illness, including cancer, high blood pressure and heart failure.
A total of one in 10 people in the U.S will have three or more adverse childhood experiences. This is much fewer than the one in six children worldwide who are estimated to be living in active conflict zones, experiencing high levels of multiple ACEs all at once.
When such a large portion of the world’s children are exposed to repeated trauma, the psychological impact of war becomes more than a humanitarian concern.
It becomes a global health issue that will shape societies for decades.
Current statistics of children in violent areas in the world
Across the world, children continue to experience the devastating effects of war firsthand.
In Ukraine, thousands of children have been killed or injured, and millions have been displaced since the war began, leaving families struggling to rebuild daily life amid continued uncertainty.
In West Asia, the recent war involving Iran has added to an already fragile regional situation. Reports indicate that hundreds of children have been killed or injured during the bombing, with attacks on schools and civilian areas raising serious humanitarian concerns.
In Gaza, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder has described the territory as “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.” Tens of thousands of children have been killed or injured, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced and now face severe humanitarian conditions.
In Sudan, millions of children have also been displaced by ongoing conflict, leaving many without reliable access to food, education, healthcare, or safe shelter.
For children living through these crises, war is not a distant event that flashes at them through the TV, but rather it surrounds them, dictating every part of their lives.
Healing
The good news is that children are resilient.
There are some factors that buffer the effects of trauma, the most effective being a consistent, present, supportive, calming caregiver.
We, as adults, have an incredible opportunity to reduce and even reverse the effects of the trials and tribulations our young experience.
Unfortunately, many children in conflict zones have lost either one or both primary caregivers in their lives, leaving them more susceptible to the effects of ACEs.
Resilience in children who have experienced trauma doesn’t always mean returning to normal or “bouncing back.”
After compounding ACEs like losing a home, belongings, loved ones, experiencing injuries, and much more, “normal” is hard to define.
Many specialists in the field of trauma working with children think it is more realistic for children to experience something called “meaning making,” where individuals derive meaning from their experiences, how they shape them, and how they can move forward.
This process often requires psychological support, stable environments, and community networks that allow children to begin rebuilding their sense of safety and belonging.
The collective responsibility to protect childhood
Whether we reflect on wars happening today or consider how future conflicts might be prevented, one thing remains clear: children must be protected from the crushing weight of violence.
A generation that grows up surrounded by war is not necessarily a lost generation. With stability, support and opportunity, those same children can grow into leaders, innovators and advocates for a more peaceful world. But they cannot do it alone.
The responsibility of the global community is not only to rebuild infrastructure but also to help children rebuild their sense of safety, stability and hope.
This responsibility belongs not only to governments and international institutions but also to educators, humanitarian workers, community leaders and ordinary citizens.
Supporting efforts that provide education, psychological care and stable environments for children affected by conflict, advocating for policies that protect civilians, and remaining informed about humanitarian crises are all ways individuals can help ensure that children are not left to carry the burden of war alone.
The true cost of conflict is not measured only in destroyed buildings or lost territory. It is measured in the childhoods shaped by violence and in the collective responsibility we share to protect the generations growing up in its shadow.
