Children and war

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Children and war

Joanna Santa Barbara, MB, BS, Centre for Peace Studies and Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada, 905 648 1520, Joanna@web.ca

War has many adverse effects on children, most of which represent violations of their human rights. These include exposure to frightening information, separation from one or both parents, exposure to destructive violence, losing one's home, being forced to flee, witnessing death or other atrocities, being imprisoned, being forced to become child soldiers, being beaten and injured, being permanently disabled, and being sexually abused. As a result, those children who survive war are often left with severe physical, mental, and social disabilities. This presentation will describe these adverse effects and what can be done to protect the human rights of children during war and its aftermath.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to

Describe the major ways in which war violates the human rights of children.
Describe what can be done to protect the human rights of children during war and its aftermath.

Keywords: War,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation

Human Rights and War

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA