Children Experience War and Violence, by Beryl Cheal, © 2001

As we see on the news and hear on the radio about the refugees who stream out of Kosovo it is important to know that children experience war and violence differently than adults. Programs that work with young children should be aware of some of the things that almost all refugees experience before they come through our doors.

Experiences of war and violence can exact a heavy toll on young children and can lead to post traumatic stress disorder. Because of their limited cognitive resources, young children are particularly sensitive to traumatic situations. They feel helpless and passive when confronted with overwhelming danger. In the face of extreme fear or terror they feel defenseless, being unable to imagine ways by their own action to prevent or alter the trauma. Terror is the primary element of emotional trauma. They have no life experience to help them chose their actions nor do they have the power to make any changes in their situation even if they knew what to do. They are at the mercy of adults and of the situation.

Young children are particularly vulnerable but, in fact, all of the family feels the stress and fear that accompany war and violence. They may have experienced bombardments, skirmishes, abductions, torture, or killings. Family members may be in hiding or have disappeared. Older children may have been inducted into local militia and forced to carry out military activities even against their own communities and families. Civil strife also increases poverty and reduces access to medical, social, and educational services. It is for reasons such as these that families decide to leave their homes. They become refugees and a critical element in children's lives is stressed and disrupted.

During the actual escape period, children often are:

Separated from their siblings, parents, extended family members, caregivers, and friends.
Witnesses to the death of people close to them due to natural elements (sun, storms, drought), by accidents en route, by militia or by pirates.
Susceptible to physical injury due to war or the dangers of travel.
Subjected to turmoil all around them which can be as disruptive as war and violence itself.
Aware of parents' or caregiver's fear, anxiety, and lack of control over current circumstances.
Vulnerable to illnesses due to poor sanitation and malnutrition.
Faced with making decisions beyond their years.

This period of flight results in changes in a child's life that are extensive, and children have to learn how to both assimilate the exodus experience and to cope with its consequences. The next stage in a family's flight usually is life for a few months or years in a refugee camp. As much as authorities try to make refugee camps a place of refuge they frequently are unsafe. Adults have nothing to do because they are in a waiting mode, waiting to go home or waiting to move on to a country of asylum. Health, social, and educational services often are not available and children find themselves free to get into trouble since their parents are disoriented by their transitional state and over burdened by their own losses.

In summary, before and during the migration process, refugee children are forced to face multiple change situations that threaten their familial relationships, break their connections with their community of origin, challenge the behavioral expectations of their culture, and leave them uncertain about their future. The enormity of these changes needs to be understood as refugee children face the task of building a new life in their country of asylum.

When they come to our programs there is much expected of them. They are expected to adapt and adjust. They must learn a new language; adjust to a new culture; master the delicate art of juggling two sets of values. They frequently assume the role of culture and language guide for the family. Refugee children are often assumed to be resilient, and they are, just to have survived is proof of that. To be able to leave behind the trauma and start anew, however, can be an overwhelming task.

Programs for young children must take into consideration the background of children and their families and be sensitive to their unique strengths and needs. They should provide a secure environment to encourage a stable sense of self and build a sense of trust in the physical and social world and the people around them. Children may bring with them poor health, higher than expected rates of developmental delays, emotional and behavioral problems but also a sense of survival and a sense of pride. It is up to the program to mold together the strengths and find ways to support and encourage those fragile elements that children will need to live a full and happy life.

How can programs for young children provide a safe haven, promote healthy development, and partially counter the adverse conditions refugee children have experienced?

It is the quality of the program that makes the difference. The antidote for a stressful, chaotic environment is an environment built around a nurturing routine that is not over stimulating. A quality program for young children needs to offer choice within limits to counteract the lack of control, while a structured and predictable environment is critical to counteract the effects of instability.

Head Start, NYC

Several aspects of the classroom program require special emphasis: routines, materials and activities, adult-child groupings, space, comings and goings, nutrition, health, and staff support. Because families are so very important for refugee children, a special emphasis should be placed on working with parents and assisting them in accessing needed social services. It is most important to have a well-trained staff to work with refugee children and their families for these are demanding challenges.

For refugee child survivors, recovery and rebuilding involves the integration of three cultures: the traditional culture, the trauma culture, and the American culture. Programs for young children must have the capability to support the values of all three cultures with the flexibility necessary to respond to the changing needs of children and their families. Refugee children are survivors and their families are survivors. They possess tremendous strength to recover and rebuild their lives and we have an opportunity to assist them in their efforts.

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Resources:

Ahearn, Jr., Frederick and Jean L. Athey, Ed., Refugee Children: Theory, Research, and Services, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD., 1991.

Benjamin, Marva P. and Patti C. Morgan, Refugee Children Traumatized by War and Violence, CASSP Technical Assistance Center, Georgetown University Child Development Center, Washington, D.C., April 1989.

Chiland, Colette, M.D., PhD, and J. Gerald Young, MD., Ed., Children and Violence, Jason Aronson, Inc., North Vale, N.J., 1994.

Figley, Charles, R., Trauma and Its Wake, Volume I, Brunner/Mazel, Inc., NY., 1985.

Jackson, Beverly Roberson, "Creating a Climate for Healing in a Violent Society," Young Children, Nov. 1997.

Klein, Tovah, Calley Bittel, and Janice Molnar, "No Place to Call Home: Supporting the Needs of Homeless Children in the Early Childhood Classroom," Young Children, Sept. 1993.

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