War and children: Sri Lankan experience

Abstract

When considering the Sri Lankan civil war, even though there are no accurate figures regarding the damage caused to children due to war, according to the UNICEF reports (2005), one million children in Sri Lanka have been affected all over the island by war, and they suffer from the shortage of food, health facilities, clothing, and education, due to displacement. However, this assumption revealed that the study concerning the effects of war on children in Sri Lanka is very limited. At the same time, due to the Easter Sunday attack in 2019, the fear of war and the impact of war on children are again taken into consideration in the country. Because, due to the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka 46 children were killed (UNICEF, 2019). Therefore, the main objective of this study is to discuss how civil war in Sri Lanka impact on children. This study is mainly based on qualitative interviews, supplemented with quantitative and observation methods. Secondary data such as books, related articles, and research materials were used. Fieldwork was done in three war-affected areas in Batticaloa and Vavuniya districts in three different periods such as 2004, 2005, and 2016. Data were collected from 30 children, 10 parents of the children, and 10 school teachers. According to this discussion, it was observed that within a situation like war, children can be affected mainly directly or indirectly which causes an adverse impact on children. Such impacts can be psychological or connected with other health issues or education. At the same time, the impacts of war on children destroy their social life or their trust in society and simply war can destroy their whole world. Children might on the surface appear to be well adjusted, but a deeper examination of their inner world shows the negative effects of war.