General Article War devastates the lives of children: what the research tells us, and what can be done

Topic Selected: War and Conflict Book Volume: 401

War devastates the lives of children: what the research tells us, and what can be done

The use of child soldiers often prolong wars. Giles Clarke/Getty Images

Roos van der Haer, Leiden University

Amnesty International published a report recently on the situation in Niger that highlighted the devastating consequences of war for children. In Niger’s Tillabéri region, hundreds of people have died or fled their homes, and food reserves and livestock have been attacked. Armed groups in this region, such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, are increasingly targeting children.

As the report states, many Nigerien children have been killed, deprived of the opportunity to go to school, or forcibly displaced. Young boys are increasingly recruited to be soldiers, while girls in some areas of the region have faced restrictions on their ability to leave the home and, at times, have been forced to marry fighters. According...

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