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The impact of war on children: how children perceive their experiences
- Author:
- KAMYA Hugo
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, 7(2), April 2009, pp.211-216.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This brief note looks at the experiences of children and young people in Sudan who were coerced into participating in conflict. The stories of 21 unaccompanied young people (all male aged 16-20 years) affiliated with a social service agency in Massachusetts reveal their war experiences and the circumstances through which they became involved. All the participants had been involved in a war/conflict situation for at least six months between 1990 and 1995; one had been a child soldier. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather the experiences. Two major themes emerged: alienation and related feelings and attempts at integration of past experiences. The consequences of participation in war included a feeling of alienation from families and communities, feelings of distrust, fear and confusion. Almost all the interviewees reported that they were forced to join the war and often saw it as an act of self defence. They were told to hate their parents and to destroy the environment. Some reported being put through elaborate rituals to join their new “families”. The theme of being lied to permeated most responses. The author stresses the importance of providing services to children caught up in conflict situations both for their own sake and to prevent intergenerational transmission of trauma.
Trauma of children of the Sudan: a constructivist exploration
- Authors:
- BOLEA Patty Stow, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Welfare Journal, 82(2), March 2003, pp.219-233.
- Publisher:
- Child Welfare League of America
This article examines the trauma of Sudanese refugee children living in a Midwestern city from a social constructivist view. From a qualitative perspective, the study explored how the Sudanese children, their U.S. foster parents, and social workers from an American child welfare agency described their understanding of the migration experience. Results point to the importance of placing the children's trauma in the context of their own cultures, as child welfare workers assist in the children's adjustment to the United States.