FMO Research Guide: Children and Adolescents in Conflict Situations

According to the United Nations, during the last decade 2 million children have been killed in situations of armed conflict, more than 1 million have been orphaned, and over 6 million have been seriously injured or permanently disabled. Around 300,000 young people under the age of 18 are actively engaged with military forces, and approximately 800 children are killed or seriously injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) every month. UNHCR currently offers support to 7.7 million refugee children, whilst over 1.5 million Palestinian refugee children are registered with UNRWA. In addition, around 25 million people are believed to be internally displaced, of whom 40–50 per cent are likely to be under the age of 18.

 

This guide is in no sense intended to provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of armed conflict on children and adolescents. Rather, it seeks to offer a brief overview of some key issues in the field and provoke thoughts about possible areas of research. It also indicates some of the ongoing debates and concerns around specific issues and directs the reader to relevant literature. Several of the issues discussed have scarcely been written about, except within advocacy-oriented documents, whilst others, most notably the mental health of children, have been the subject of extensive investigation. The guide is very much open to revision and all suggestions of further literature or websites will be gratefully received and incorporated.