Child soldiers[/caption]Gordon Matilla----In 1996 the World Health Assembly stated violence was a major public health issue, and a follow up report in 2002 examined the impact of violence on health. Given the number of violent episodes that have occurred in recent days, the long-range impact of violence is said to be of special importance, especially for the future welfare of the world.
The World Health Organization reinforces the fact that violence prevention is important because of the many serious consequences to an individual's health. Some of these consequences can be lifelong.
A WHO working group in 1996: “defined violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power against oneself, another person or against a grooup or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychologoical harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.” The definition therefore covers virtually all categories of violence and a wide range of acts with outcomes beyond injuries and deaths.
Cecilia Wainryb & Monisha Pasupathi of the Department of Psychology, University of Utah, have researched the effect of wars on the welfare of children in an article entitled “Psychological Impact of Political Violence on Children” where they have reviewed the consequences suffered by children that impact the rest of society.
What these researchers have done is to examine the effect of violence on personhood and one's development of a moral compass that allows one to function humanely. That moral self is important in the learning of forgiveness and how to participate in a civilized society. What they have found is that violence interrupts the development of that moral compass and sense of personhood in ways that negatively affect the social order. The children begin to see the world as one in which people violate ethical principles.
As a consequence of the disruption of the moral compass, children have difficulty learning to trust, honor promises and control aggression when the examples they have learned have been violent and negative. While the immediate response of children after a violent episode is to continue to follow certain moral precepts, their ability to trust and to learn to appreciate and interact well with others is hurt.
Furthermore when children see that people don't talk about the violence, or they themselves can't express themselves, the problems become even larger. What researchers observe is that the political violence that is occurring in places like Syria and Egypt, and where folks are attacked in innocent activities as occurred at a shopping mall in Kenya, the consequence is the disruption in the development of moral capacities that can be severe and foster continuing violence as the children grow into adults.
The alert about violence is important, and the stories that occur with children that they share in their relating their experiences allows clinicians to find the path to help them. But as violence increases and greater numbers of people are affected that problem of developing the moral compass becomes larger.
Additional research indicates that children who suffer trauma from war also suffer from additional trauma within the family as the family itself is negatively impacted and can turn on one another.For that reason those helping children heal should also work with the family and examine the issues of poverty, drug abuse and other issues that can arise from conflict.
So as folks watch their television screens and wonder about the violence, then turn away as it happens, many people are left with the memories. And that is why experts continue to assert that violence breeds violence and prevention is the answer for helping to stop the cycle that takes place as people lacking a moral compass and trust lash out in frustration and become violent themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Say something constructive. Negative remarks and name-calling are not allowed.