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If War – How to Minimize the Loss for School Children

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If War – How to Minimize the Loss for School Children If War – How to Minimize the Loss for School Children A Paper Presentation For The Second Annual International Conference on Peace Jackson State University Jackson, MS 39217 April 7-11, 2008 By Ruben Gentry, Ed.D. Professor of Special Education Jackson State University Jackson, MS 39217 [email protected] (601) 979-1064 If War – How to Minimize the Loss for School Children Abstract: War is so devastating that if at all possible, it should be avoided. But if reasoning and negotiation fail to yield peace between nations and countries and war results, the loss to children must be minimized. In the last decade, two million children have been killed in wars and conflicts, 4.5 million have been disabled and 12 million have been left homeless. Environmental damage due to the use of nuclear and chemical weaponry is horrendous; there are higher cancer and disease rates as well as higher rates of offspring born with birth defects. Also, disproportionate spending on war takes funding away from programs that improve the quality of life (Marshall, 2004). Children must be kept in mind during times of war; they need to be with their parents, protected within their home communities and have basic health, educational and social services. In as much as education is the foundation on which all professional and service endeavors are built, any decision for engagement in war must protect the educational system; there must be contingency plans in place to safeguard children and meet their developmental needs. This presentation focuses on the issue of war and how it impacts school children. It addresses war as a last-resort strategy, but because of the probability of war continuing to occur, means are offered for various sectors of society to minimize the loss for school children. Introduction Some nations have been the battlefield to only a few, if any, wars; other nations have almost constantly been the home of war. Some nations have been very selective - 2 - about the soldiers who engage in battle; other nations have cut across their entire population to enlist soldiers. Some nations have made efforts to protect children from the direct ills of war; other nations have made children active participants in war. But whether war is on the mainland or across the distant seas, or whether the soldiers are adult citizens, family members or include children themselves, unless careful thought is given to the impending needs of children, the quality of their education will be extremely negatively affected. It is almost unbelievable that at this point in time children are targets, expendables, victims, refugees and even perpetrators in one conflict after another, on virtually every continent (Evans, 1996). According to Lasser and Adams (2007), war may be the most profound psychosocial stressor on child and adolescent development. It has the potential to inflict loss, cause disruption of stability, create health problems and result in family and community system disorganization. It is no fabrication to say that war is devastating to nations, and especially children; yet, it is so common around the world. In the midst of the atrocity, children -- every nation’s most precious present and future resource, are too often both victims and combatants. It appears only fitting and proper to say, if war -- minimize the loss for school children. Purpose This paper first addresses the matter of preventing war. But since war is still so highly regarded as a means of settling disputes among nations, attention is focused on the devastation of war, the involvement of children, its affects on education, how to minimize the impact on children and life beyond the period of war. - 3 - Prevent war at all cost Considerable credit may be given to the freedom gained from select wars of the past, albeit the price paid for the freedom was quite steep. But the employment of current technology in warfare could make human and material loss incomprehensible. While the loss of anyone or the depletion of valuable resources to war is difficult to bear, the loss of large numbers of children to war is unpardonable. The prevention of war must become a goal for the international community; it must improve the protection and care of children in conflict situations and in large measure, ensure that such conflicts do not occur. Report after report shows that militarism is out of control, cutting a violent path of unprecedented proportions across our planet (Marshall, 2004). In 1995, thirty major armed conflicts raged in different locations around the world. The conflicts destroyed crops, places of worship and schools; nothing was spared, held sacred or protected – not children, families or communities. Some analysts attribute these conflicts to political upheavals and struggles for control over resources. Others think it is a natural outcome of the social revolutions that have torn traditional societies apart. But regardless to the cause, modern-day brutality towards children must come to a halt. Children simply have no part in warfare (Promotion and protection of the rights of children: Impact of armed conflict on children, n.d.). Children are entitled to a childhood. Society must afford the opportunity for children to grow up as children, not weapons of war. A lot is reported on the methods by which children can be protected from the worst impacts of armed conflict. However, the most effective way to protect children is to prevent the outbreak of armed conflict. The political inertia that allows circumstances to escalate into armed conflict and destroy - 4 - children’s lives must be eradicated. This means addressing the root causes of violence and promoting sustainable and equitable patterns of human development. Preventing conflicts from escalating is a clear responsibility of national governments and the international community. Religious, community and traditional leaders have often been successful at conflict management and prevention, as have scholars involved in mediation and capacity building. Women’s organizations too, have been very influential, promoting the presence of women at the negotiating table where they can act as their own advocates and agents for peace (Promotion and protection of the rights of children: Impact of armed conflict on children, n.d.). Society must do anything and everything to protect children, to give them priority and a better future; there is a need for a new morality that puts children where they belong – at the heart of all agendas. Protecting children from the impact of armed conflict is everyone’s responsibility. Children have a right to peace (Impact of armed conflict on children: A personal note from Graca Machel, n.d.). To prevent armed conflict, the international community should closely monitor arms transfers and impose a total ban on arms shipments to conflict zones. Governments and civil society must address the root socio-economic causes of conflict and support the social infrastructure that protects children (Impact of armed conflict on children: Ten recommendations, n.d.). Education is essential to protecting children both from conflict and during conflict and to rebuilding nations in its aftermath. It is the key to alleviating poverty and reducing the risks of perpetual conflict by helping lay the groundwork for personal - 5 - growth, economic growth and political development (Congress needs to help millions of children out of school in war-torn countries: Save the children, 2007). From an educational perspective, the prevention of war may require looking at things very differently from the way that they are currently viewed and discovering new uses for weapons of war. It may begin with redefining or reconceptualizing the word “WAR.” Each letter of the word may have a meaning such as follows: W -Work together to achieve peace around the world A -Aim to provide every child a free and appropriate public education R -Recognize and reward people who work to achieve a truly humanitarian society The discovery of new uses for weapons of war may include the following: • use soldiers to assist in natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, and wild fires • trade the production of guns and bullets for the preparation of food and shelter in poverty stricken areas and undeveloped countries • use airplanes to more safely and timely transport passengers from city to city If another peg is needed to promote the concept of preventing war, the children have it. In assessing adolescents’ views of war and peace, it was found that they overwhelmingly believe that wars are bad and the majority is optimistic that world peace is possible. Yet, they have come to realize that wars are difficult to prevent, believe that they are sometimes needed and will occur in the future (Garatti & Rudnitski, 2007). The latter views may be positively modified with education that better addresses conflict resolution and heightened skills of effective interpersonal relationships. - 6 - Devastating affects of war on children Armed conflicts result in massive levels of destruction – physical, human, moral and cultural. Large numbers of children are killed and injured; many other grow up deprived of material and emotional needs that give meaning to social and cultural life – their homes, schools, health systems and religious institutions are torn to pieces. War violates every right of a child – right to life, right to be with family and community, right to health, right to the development of personality and right to be nurtured and protected. Much of the impact remains invisible. The resulting insecurity and fear cannot be measured (Promotion and protection of the rights of children: Impact of armed conflict on children, n.d.). During the last decade it is estimated that child victims of war have included 2 million killed, 4.5 million disabled, 12 million left homeless, more than 1 million orphaned or separated from their parents and 10 million seriously psychologically traumatized.
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