Children and youth are especially vulnerable to conflict, through the indirect impact of a weaker state and social system, loss of parents or caretakers, and often even as participants in armies.
First, breakdown of central state and social structures can be detrimental to the development of children and youth in their most important years, causing deprivation of the basic services, care, and safety central to the specific age and stage of development. Education and health services suffer from conflict which often has long-term repercussions that go well beyond the duration of the conflict. In addition to the lack of general social services, conflict causes insecurity, instability, and trauma with likely repercussions for many aspects of childrens' lives.
Second, violent conflicts, along with HIV/AIDS, are giving rise to a massive generation of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa. The region currently has about 13 million orphans, most under the age of fifteen.
Third, In many countries, children and adolescents also take part as soldiers. More than 300,000 children under age 18 are fighting in armed conflicts in more than thirty countries worldwide. In many countries, both girls and boys are used as soldiers; girls are at particular risk of rape, sexual harassment and abuse. Conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America have all urged putting a stop of the use of children as soldiers.
Youth at Risk
Caught between childhood and full adulthood, youth are often even more under served than children. Even as they struggle with their own identity, they watch the social fabric collapse around them. From a conflict perspective, idleness and especially a sense of lack of future prospects related to unemployment and limited education opportunities, represent not only social problems, but may further turn youth into prone recruits to rebel armies and violent movements.
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