The Impact of Modern Wars and Armed Conflicts on Children

Introduction to Globalization and War

According to Hick (2001), the newest development of globalization is the expansion of global capitalism. In that sense, globalization is the manifestation of an old system of market liberalism that occurs on an international level. One negative effect of globalization is changing the nature of warfare through the perpetuation and encouragement of modern wars and armed conflicts. Modern wars, based primarily on the changing politics of economic globalization, are usually intranational in nature and occur mostly in developing countries (Hick, 2001). Free trade opens developing countries to transnational corporations that exploit both the people and the resources by selling and purchasing products such as luxury items and weapons. Examples include diamond wars in Sierra Leone and Angola and oil conflicts in Sudan (Hick, 2001). Not only do these corporations create the conditions for some of these wars, but some are even directly involved. The number of children living in poverty is growing as globalization expands markets across national boundaries and increases the incomes of a select few (Hick, 2001).

The changing face of modern wars and armed conflicts now involve targeting children and exploiting and killing children more systematically than ever (Hick, 2001). A major development that brought about this change is the increasing sales and availability of small arms in the local communities of developing countries. These weapons readily facilitate the ignition and sustainment of wars that victimize children (Machel, 2001). In 94% of the conflicts since 1990, small arms were the only weapons used (Peters and Richards, 1998). Consequently, children are greatly affected by the intranational wars and armed conflicts in their war-torn countries. They face constant violence and dangers, the more common of which includes death, displacement and separation from family, sexual violence, and recruitment as child soldiers. It is imperative that we become more aware of the perils and desperation that these children encounter in order to address the issues and protect them from these infringements of their human rights.

Impacts on Children

Death
The most direct consequence of armed conflict that children face is death. UNICEF estimates that 90% of global conflict-related deaths since 1990 have been civilians, with 80% of these being women and children (2006). From 1985 to 1995, about 2 million children have been killed and 5 million have been disabled (Hick, 2001). About 800 children are killed every month by landmines (Hick, 2001). In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 1,270 excess deaths occur every day due to malnutrition and infectious diseases (UNICEF, 2006).

Displacement
As a result of armed conflict, people are forced to leave their homes to escape from danger and either become internally displaced people (IDPs) who stay in their own countries or refugees who flee to other countries (Hick, 2001). According to O’Hara and Southall (2007), there are 13 million IDPs and 3.5 million refugees in sub-Saharan African countries. In Darfur, there are 2 million people living in displacement camps (UNICEF, 2006). Worldwide, there are 40 million refugees and children account for 50% of that (Hick, 2001). One million children are orphaned and 12 million are homeless as a result of armed conflict (Hick, 2001). Displacement results in dangerous situations for children because they are more likely to be raped, tortured, murdered, or recruited as child soldiers (Machel, 2001). Many are separated from their families and friends. Within the first days and weeks of displacement, many children die due to malnutrition and diseases (Hick, 2001). There is a limited supply of food and water, and refugee and IDP camps often serve as breeding grounds for diseases such as malaria, diarrheal diseases, and respiratory infections (Machel, 2001). Ideally, these camps should be safe, but many IDP and refugee camps are often highly militarized and used to traffic arms, which results in high levels of violence, sexual assault, and substance abuse (Hick, 2001). Donated emergency food aid may be diverted from displaced populations to military groups, and men in charge of distribution may abuse their power, which puts women and children at a disadvantage (O’Hare and Southall, 2007). In general, IDPs are worse off than refugees because they have to move repeatedly, are more difficult to reach due to fighting or government policies, and unlike the refugees, have no specific agency or body of law for protection (Hick, 2001).

Sexual Violence
During times of war, women and girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence. Displaced and separated from family and friends, many girls resort to prostitution as a way to obtain food, shelter, or papers (Machel, 2001). Other girls are abducted into armed groups and forced into sexual slavery (Hick, 2001). Rape is a constant threat and is often used as a weapon for ethnic cleansing by armed groups to humiliate and terrorize the perceived enemy (Machel, 2001). The direct consequences of rape and prostitution include unwanted pregnancies and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS (Machel, 2001). The indirect consequences of sexual violence are the traumatic long-term effects on the psychological and physical development of these girls (Hick, 2001). Not only does violence cause painful psychosocial and emotional damage, but even worse, it erodes these girls’ trust in adults (Hick, 2001).

Recruitment into Armed Forces – Child Soldiers
It is estimated that there are about 300,000 children under age 18 who are participating in armed combat (Hick, 2001). Most are adolescents, but some can be as young as 10 (Machel, 2001). While the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) prohibits nongovernmental forces from recruiting children less than 18 years of age, it allows states to establish their own minimum age requirement for voluntary recruitment that is not necessarily 18 years of age (Hick, 2001). The trend towards the use of child soldiers can be attributed to the dwindling supply of adult soldiers and the availability of small arms (Machel, 2001). In addition, some commanders prefer child soldiers because they are more obedient and easier to manipulate than adult soldiers (Hick, 2001).

There are 3 main ways that children join armed forces: they do so voluntarily, they are abducted, or they are sold by their families. First, many under-age combatants voluntarily join armed forces to avoid starvation and to substitute for an education since many schools have shut down (Peters and Richards, 1998). Others believe that it is a way to protect their families or to obtain revenge (Machel, 2001). Weapon training pays quicker dividends than school and brings food, money, a warm bath, and instant adult respect (Peters and Richards, 1998). The military unit serves as both a refuge and a surrogate family (Hick, 2001). Secondly, children can be forcibly recruited or abducted by armed forces, civil defense, and paramilitaries (Machel, 2001). They are especially vulnerable to recruitment in refugee or IDP camps. Last but not least, poverty plays a significant role in the recruitment of child soldiers because some parents offer their children’s services for monetary compensation (Machel, 2001). On the other hand, children from wealthier families are less likely to be recruited because their families are able to buy their freedoms or use legal or political influence to challenge their recruitment (Machel, 2001).

Current and Future Efforts to Protect Children’s Rights

One of the most prominent movements toward legal framework concerning the promotion and protection of children’s rights was the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly. World leaders wanted the world to recognize that children had human rights too and felt that a special convention was necessary to give special care and protection to children under 18 years of age. CRC was the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights, including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights (UNICEF, 2006). CRC has been endorsed by 191 states, making it the most widely ratified international instrument in history (Hick, 2001).

Now that we have this framework, we need to build on these foundations to ensure that it is implemented properly to further the efforts to protect the rights of children. We can attain these goals by working at the local and global levels to address both the upstream causes and downstream effects of armed conflicts. Locally, efforts to increase community awareness of exploitation and violence in developing countries are necessary because consumers need to be conscious of their roles in creating demand for luxury products. These demands drive corporations to generate markets to obtain resources from these countries, which in turn fuels conflicts in intranational wars. There needs to be some sort of balance to curb the corporations’ exploitations of developing countries. Thus, punitive systems should be established to hold corporations accountable for their actions and roles in perpetuating global wars. Governments can serve as key players in the implementation of these legal systems. According to Peters and Richards (1998), governments tend to spend less on health and education and more on defense if there has been a recent conflict. Thus, governments in wealthy countries need to reassess their values and set examples for corporations and other organizations to lower the risk of armed conflict abroad, perhaps by reducing the percentage of the gross domestic product spent on military expenditures or enforcing stricter regulations for weapons sales. These governments also need to recognize the link between their roles in supporting or encouraging wars and the resulting physical and emotional violence that many children face on a daily basis.

Globally, stricter standards need to be imposed to control the unchecked exploitation of resources and luxury items by transnational corporations. Legal and disciplinary mechanisms need to be established and supported to hold parties responsible for their actions. For example, although international tribunals have been established and exercised their powers by punishing perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, they need continuing political and financial support to maintain these efforts (Machel, 2001). Increased communication and cooperation between international parties could be a way to facilitate discussions of long-term support for such efforts.

While local and global efforts address the upstream causes of armed conflict, downstream effects in the war-torn countries need to be addressed as well. Peace-building and peacekeeping efforts need to focus on child protection issues as conflicts end. Since IDP and refugee camps are unsafe grounds for children who become separated from their families and friends, emergency humanitarian work should focus on establishing and maintaining family reunification programs. Adolescents, especially former child soldiers, need to be reintegrated into society in an appropriate and gentle manner. They should be included in community-building, reconstructive efforts, and relief programs.

In order to increase efforts to protect children, both upstream causes and downstream effects need to first be recognized and addressed by all parties involved. Only then will negotiation and cooperation on the local and global level make further progress to protect children from the devastating impacts of war.


References

Hick, S. 2001. The political economy of war-affected children. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (575)106-121.

Machel, G. 2001. The impact of war on children. Vancouver: UBC Press.

O’Hare, B. and Southall, D. 2007. First do no harm: the impact of recent armed conflict on maternal and child health in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (100)564-570.

Peters, K. and Richards, P. 1998. ‘Why we fight’: voices of youth combatants in Sierra Leone. Africa: Journal of the International African Institute (68)183-210.

UNICEF. 2006. Child protection information sheet: protecting children during armed conflict. Retrieved 5 April 2009. http://www.unicef.org/protection/.