In the words of Graca Machel, "The callousness of modern warfare may be a natural outcome of the social revolutions that have torn traditional societies apart. But whatever the causes, the time has come to call a halt. The international community must proclaim attacks on children for what they are - intolerable and unacceptable" (Machel, 1996).
This issue focuses on children caught up in violent conflict - a reality for millions of children in the world; a reality that consistently robs them of justice, indeed of their human rights; a reality including children caught up in the ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine.
Our collective moral obligation to all children should be without question. Our obligation under law is clear. Although all the Geneva Conventions provide various protections to civilians during international war, the Fourth Geneva Convention is specifically designed to protect children in war.
On November 20, 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a comprehensive international treaty for the protection of children. Entering into force in 1990, this convention brings together existing international law and new standards for issues not previously addressed. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is applicable at all times - in times of peace and in times of war (NGO Committee on UNICEF, 1993).
Children's rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child include, for example, the child's right to life; the right to a name, a home and a family; the right to a nationality; the right to education and recreation; freedom of expression; dignity and special protection and care in situations of armed conflict.
Most countries have ratified these treaties, effectively adding them to the existing body of international law. But recent armed conflicts clearly demonstrate adult neglect and, in many cases, abuse of the human rights of children.

War on Children

In the last decade, more than 1.5 million children have been killed in wars. More than four million have been physically disabled -limbs amputated, brains damaged, eyesight and hearing lost - through bombing, land mines, firearms and torture. Five million children are in refugee camps because of war; a further 12 million have lost their homes (NGO Committee on UNICEF, 1993). In over 30 countries, children as young as 9 have been used as soldiers in civil wars, armies of liberation, and in international conflicts over the past 10 years (Woods, 1991), UNICEF estimates that 10 million children in the world have suffered psychological trauma as a result of the violence of armed conflict (UNICEF, 1992).
Unfortunately, Palestinian children are no exception, According to UNRWA, between December 1987 and April 1993, over 22,000 Palestinian children under the age of 15 were injured by live ammunition, plastic- and rubber-coated bullets, beatings or tear gas seriously enough to seek medical attention. The Palestinian Human Rights Information Center reported in May 1994 that 360 children had been killed by Israeli troops since the beginning of the Intifada in 1987. Israeli children have been the casualties of random acts of violence.
This "war on children" is a 20th-century invention. Only five percent of the casualties of the First World War were civilians, By the Second World War, the proportion had risen to 50 percent. And as the century ends, the civilian share is normally about 80 percent - most of them women and children.
Modem conflicts are conducted in children's "backyards." It is difficult, if not impossible, to ensure children's human rights when guns, grenades, tear gas, tanks and armed personnel carriers are brought to the streets near their schools and homes in their communities. Children are caught in the crossfire and worse. "Armed conflict, more than any other force, has transformed the lives of millions of children and women. Children and their families are not just getting caught in the crossfire. Many are being targeted. Nothing is spared, held sacred or protected. It is the singular characteristic of armed conflict in our time that children suffer most" (Machel, 1996),
The indirect effects are devastating. Schools and clinics are closed or destroyed. Food supply lines are broken. Water and sanitation systems break down. Homes are demolished. Millions flee or are forced to refugee camps. And always, the heaviest burden is borne by children - children who are separated from their families by killing or imprisonment, who miss their chance to grow normally in body and mind, to be educated and to acquire the skills to find a place in society (NGO Committee on UNICEF, 1993).
One of the significant recommendations in the Graca Machel study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children (1996) is the need to promote the psychological recovery and social reintegration of these children. Noting that, historically, the United Nations' focus was on physical damage, this report suggests that the short- and long-term psychological consequences of war on children must be taken into account.
A number of studies conducted in the West Bank and Gaza claim that almost all Palestinian children have been exposed to traumatic events related to the conflict (UNICEF, 1995). Furthermore, Israeli scientists note that "Israel is a natural laboratory for the study of war stress ...Israeli children are brought up with a continuous awareness of war ... nearly everyone in the country knows someone who has either been wounded or died in war" (Klingman and Raviv, 1993).
Although individual response to traumatic events differs from child to child - depending on a number of factors, such as age, prior experience, and available support systems - the consistency of core responses is clear: heightened anxiety, generalized fears, and loss of self-esteem (Van der Kolk, 1987). Some children respond with withdrawal, avoidance and denial. While these responses are self-protective, the isolation removes them from full participation in the world of family, school and community and, thus, exacerbates their emotional problems. Others respond with self-blame and feelings of helplessness. Still other children develop angry, hostile behavior patterns and act out their aggression (Garbarino, Kostelny, Dubrow, 1991).

The Destruction of Norms

But there is a more serious problem that children experience as a result of exposure to violent trauma: the break in trust in fellow human beings, in relationships and in hope for the future. The danger children have lived through is not only of physical injuries, often resulting in physical handicaps, but of psychological and moral injuries as well. This danger stems from being put frequently in situations which contradict the norms of society these children would have internalized within their family and community structures. Such norms may have involved the sanctity of life, yet children see their parents killed before them. They may have learned to define morality (right vs. wrong), yet these children witness violations of all human rights - humiliation, harassment and total disregard for the process of justice. Some children are forced to fight, to hold arms, to kill.
The effect of violent trauma can persist throughout one's life if one does not deal with the trauma. Children can hold on to anger, frustration, rage and guilt for some time not knowing exactly what to do with it or how to express it. However, we have learned a great deal about what helps children to cope. First, children should not be left alone to integrate the psychological consequences of violent trauma. Though less visible than physical injury, emotional injuries are no less serious. The commonly held assumption that they will recover from their traumatic experiences on their own has frequently been proven to be a myth (Dubrow, 1995).
Most important is that we take notice of their experiences, understand the complexity of what these experiences mean in their lives and create opportunities for them to express what happened and how they feel about it. Sometimes with words, other times with dance, music, art, drama, story¬telling and sports, children's expressions emerge.
Neglect throughout history of the psychological consequences of all forms of violence has only served to prolong the pain and recovery of its victims. Recognition of the psychological needs of these children has been a first step. The next step should be toward development of informed community-based support services. Without attending to these children, the future of entire countries, indeed our world community, will be greatly compromised. We share a profound responsibility to prevent violence against children, to monitor and intervene in its occurrence, and to ameliorate its aftermath when tragedies have occurred.
The recently published report to the Secretary General of the United Nations on The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children (Machel, 1996) challenges world leadership to evaluate their actions towards children who live in situations of armed conflict. Furthermore, the report insists on recognition and correction of the deterioration of our moral values which have allowed violation of children's rights. The latter may require us "to delve into the depths of the other's soul" (Oz, 1994). Ultimately, there is a plea to commit no further violence against any child.
Most important is that we take notice of their experiences, understand the complexity of what these experiences mean in their lives and create opportunities for them to express what happened and how they feel about it. Sometimes with words, other times with dance, music, art, drama, story¬telling and sports, children's expressions emerge.
Neglect throughout history of the psychological consequences of all forms of violence has only served to prolong the pain and recovery of its victims. Recognition of the psychological needs of these children has been a first step. The next step should be toward development of informed community-based support services. Without attending to these children, the future of entire countries, indeed our world community, will be greatly compromised. We share a profound responsibility to prevent violence against children, to monitor and intervene in its occurrence, and to ameliorate its aftermath when tragedies have occurred.
The recently published report to the Secretary General of the United Nations on The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children (Machel, 1996) challenges world leadership to evaluate their actions towards children who live in situations of armed conflict. Furthermore, the report insists on recognition and correction of the deterioration of our moral values which have allowed violation of children's rights. The latter may require us "to delve into the depths of the other's soul" (Oz, 1994). Ultimately, there is a plea to commit no further violence against any child.

References

Dubrow, N., N. Liwski, C. Palacious and M. Gardinier. "Traumatized Children: Helping Child Victims of Violence: The Contribution of Non-Governmental Organizations." International Responses to Traumatic Stress: Humanitarian Contributions, Collaborative Actions and Future Initiatives, published for and on behalf of the United Nations. New York: Baywood Publishing Company, 1995.
Garbarino, J., K. Kostelny and N. Dubrow. No Place to Be a Child: Growing Up in a War Zone. Lexington: Lexington Books, 1991.
Klingman, A., and A. Raviv. "The Effect of War on Israeli Children." The Psychological Effects of War and Violence on Children, eds., L. Leavitt and N. Fox. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1993.
Machel, G. Impact of Armed Conflict on Children: Selected Highlights. New York: Department of Public Information and United Nations' Children's Fund, 1996.
NGO Committee on UNICEF Working Group on Children in Armed Conflict. Summary of International Treaties to Protect Children in Armed Conflict. New York: NGO Committee on UNICEF,1993.
Oz, A. Israel, Palestine and Peace Essays. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994.
UNICEF. The State of the Palestinian Child in the West Bank and Gaza. East Jerusalem: UNICEF,
1995.
--. The State of the World's Children. New York: UNICEF, 1992.
Van der Kolk, B. Psychological Trauma. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1987. Woods, D. Child Soldiers in the War between Ethiopia and Eritrean Liberation Forces: Summary Report.
Eureka Springs: Center on War & the Child, 1991.