What is the impact on the life of the child who is introduced into armed conflict?
WILLIAMS: More and more studies are being done on the impact of direct participation in armed conflict on children. This blog regularly posts new reports and research on psychological treatments, therapies, and programs for helping child soldiers recover. Mental health problems range from depression, to post-traumatic stress disorder, to anxiety, to insomnia, to name a few. Thankfully, children of war, both victims and direct participants, have been shown to be remarkably resilient. Many of them – with the proper treatment – have been successfully reintegrated into society and are able to continue on to a productive, peaceful adulthood. IW: Why, in your opinion, is the recruitment and introduction of child soldiers into modern conflict such a pressing human rights issue? WILLIAMS: Children are the innocent victims of war. At all costs, they should be protected from the effects of warfare. At the very least, they should be able to live a life free from any direct involvement in fighting
