Being with and for Children Impacted by Violence

11/20/2023

Being with and for Children Impacted by Violence

We think that the world could be a better place if we looked at it from the child’s perspective.
Ellen Hall, Educator, Author, Children’s Rights Advocate, 1947-2018

Many of us have a heavy heart on World Children’s Day 2023. Earlier this year, Save the Children noted, "Every child, no matter where they live, deserves to live a safe, happy and healthy life.?However, right now, one in six children around the world - over 449 million children - are living in a conflict zone."

On November 7, Save the Children reported, "Over the past month, 4,008 children have been killed in Gaza, with a further 1,270 children missing, presumed buried under the rubble. A further 43 children have been killed in the occupied West Bank, and 31 children killed in Israel, while media reports indicate that around 30 children are being held hostage. The aid agency is concerned for the physical and emotional wellbeing of children across the region – including the West Bank and Israel – and warns that children’s mental health in Gaza has been pushed beyond breaking point."

Our collective hearts break. From Azerbaijan to Yemen, children are impacted by violence. Ongoing fighting between military factions has displaced 7.1 million people in Sudan and over five percent of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Children in areas of Ukraine attend school in bomb shelters or lack access to schools and hospitals that have been destroyed. Yet numbers do not reveal the loss, brutality or suffering faced by each child in harm’s way, including those whose ‘conflict zone’ may be inside their own community or home. Even outside of conflict zones, children see, hear, and feel conflicts second-hand through the media and the emotions and conversations of the adults around them.

Each of us can choose where and how we will stand up for children directly impacted by violence and how to be present with each child in our care. Exchange Press invites your comments below, and we welcome your more in-depth stories and insights for potential inclusion on the Exchange Hub and magazine.

Resources: Talking with Children about World Conflict and Crisis

Exchange Reflections: Conversations with Children about Violence. An article and discussion guide for your team Today only: download for free.
Fred Rogers Center: Talking with Children about Difficult Things in the News
NAEYC: Supporting Young Children after Crisis Events — Scroll down there is some general information about having conversations with children about crisis. In this case, we need to be mindful about what children are seeing/hearing in the media and how they see adults processing these events.
UNICEF: How to talk to your children about conflict and war. Eight tips

Thanks to Dimensions board president John Nimmo for contributing to this list of resources.

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