Children and political violence

Experts have noted the increase in the number of wars/conflicts breaking out within (as opposed to between) states beginning in the second half of the twentieth century. This form of conflict puts children and families in danger of experiencing political or ethnic violence within their communities and even in their homes. Intrastate, political wars hit close to home and threaten multiple environments in which children develop. In many of these conflicts, people on opposing sides of the conflict often share contested territory, providing frequent reminders of the conflict and opportunities to participate in the tensions between the conflicting groups. As of 2006, the United Nations estimated that over 2 million children had been killed and 6 million had been disabled due to armed conflict (United Nations General Assembly, 2006). Although it is difficult to fully estimate the total number of children directly or indirectly affected by political violence, it is well known that civilians are increasingly at risk as victims of war, and many of these victims are young people. Keywords: resilience; social ecological model; social identity; multiple responses; intergroup attitudes; contexts of development; risk and protective factors; psychopathology