A two-day conference dubbed "Children Have No Place in War" is going on discussions on the psychological impact of war on children in Middle East, daily newspaper The Jordan Times reported here Thursday.
The Information and Research Center (IRC) of Jordan's King Hussein Foundation and the International Child watch Research Network opened the meeting here Wednesday, calling on the regional countries to pay more attention to the psychological impact of war on children.
Researchers and child rights advocates warned at the meeting that if the well-being of children, the forgotten victims of conflicts across the Arab world is ignored, it would have an adverse effect on the entire region in the near future.
Sociologist Musa Shteiwi, who heads the Jordan Center for Social Research, was quoted as saying that the psychological impact of violence on children often goes unreported in the region as it is stigmatized as a sign of weakness or illness.
Lack of research and data on the impact of conflict on children in the region presents a further challenge, hurting organizations' ability to identify and address their needs, said Shteiwi, adding we have so many militants near us, so "in children's eyes, violence becomes the legitimate way to solve problems."
Kamel Mohanna, President of the Lebanese Amel Association said that though services and therapy are needed for youngsters who suffer short- and long-term trauma from war, there is only one way for the region's children to learn that violence is not the answer to any solution.
"It won't happen until there is a political solution to the region's problems, particularly the Palestinian issue. Only once there is peace can children truly develop in a healthy environment and learn the right way to resolve disputes," he said.
Source: Xinhua
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