Combat zones are increasingly widespread, weapons cause destruction on a larger scale, 3, 4 conflicts are more protracted (waxing and waning over lengthier periods of time), 5 and the availability and use of small arms facilitates the use of children as combatants. In this Technical Report, we review the available knowledge on the effects of armed conflict on children and support the recommendations in the accompanying Policy Statement on children and armed conflict. Armed conflict is both a toxic stress and a significant social determinant of child health. Children and health workers are targeted by combatants during attacks, and children are recruited or forced to take part in combat in a variety of ways. Indirect effects are related to a large number of factors, including inadequate and unsafe living conditions, environmental hazards, caregiver mental health, separation from family, displacement-related health risks, and the destruction of health, public health, education, and economic infrastructure. The direct effects of conflict include death, physical and psychological trauma, and displacement. The effects are both direct and indirect and are associated with immediate and long-term harm. No matter their involvement, the recruitment and use of children by armed forces is a grave violation of child rights and international humanitarian law.More than 1 in 10 children worldwide are affected by armed conflict. Still others associate themselves for survival or to protect their communities. Others are driven by poverty, compelled to generate income for their families. Some are abducted, threatened, coerced or manipulated by armed actors. Many, especially girls, are also subjected to gender-based violence.Ĭhildren become part of an armed force or group for various reasons. Warring parties use children not only as fighters, but as scouts, cooks, porters, guards, messengers and more. Often referred to as “child soldiers,” these boys and girls suffer extensive forms of exploitation and abuse that are not fully captured by that term. Thousands of children are recruited and used in armed conflicts across the world. Between 20, more than 105,000 children were verified as recruited and used by parties to conflict, although the actual number of cases is believed to be much higher.
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