BMJ 1998;316:1549-1550 ( 23 May )

Editorials

Protecting children from armed conflict

The UN convention needs an enforcing arm 

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Once wars and other conflicts begin, children suffer abuse---physical, sexual, and emotional. This is despite international laws to protect them.1 Recent studies on the psychological consequences of armed conflict have shown that the resultant unhappiness and mental disturbance is so great in children that it can rarely be repaired.2-4 The answer therefore has to be prevention, and, if that fails, the international community needs to act rapidly to protect vulnerable children.

In conflicts over the past 10 years 90% of casualties have been civilians. Two million children have been killed and 4-5 million seriously injured (usually without analgesia, anaesthesia, or surgical facilities to treat them). Twelve million children have been made homeless, over one million orphaned, and countless psychologically traumatised. Three quarters of deaths from antipersonnel mines are among children.

Table Removed (Available Only in the Full Text)

Inequalities in health care, and the poverty in which a huge proportion of the world's population lives (table 1),5 are key . . . [Full text of this article]
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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Summerfield, D. (2000). Childhood, War, Refugeedom and 'Trauma': Three Core Questions for Mental Health Professionals. Transcultural Psychiatry 37: 417-433 [Abstract]  
  • Summerfield, D., Cooper, C D, Meddings, D. (1998). Protecting children from armed conflict. BMJ 317: 1249-1249 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Armed conflict and civilian casualties
David Meddings
bmj.com, 30 Jun 1998 [Full text]
Untitled
C D Cooper
bmj.com, 7 Jul 1998 [Full text]
Re: Armed conflict and civilian casualties
David Southall, et al.
bmj.com, 6 Aug 1998 [Full text]
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