Children in Situations of Armed Conflict (Anthro)

SW719, Section 001

The situation of children in armed conflict is currently a major concern among those who focus on the interests of the young and among those whose interest is in the propagation of Human Rights and International legislation to restrict the involvement of children in war and to limit harm done to them.
During the course, the situation of children in recent and on-going conflicts will be examined and the nature and causes of their participation will be analyzed. We shall begin by looking at the role of children in past wars and at the possible reasons for the absence of detailed documentation of it. We shall consider why the engagement of the young in warfare is pruned from the archive. We shall discuss the romance of war and reflect on the possible influence on children of ideals to do with bravery and heroism that imbue stories about and images of combat. The course will examine written evidence for data on recruitment, training, treatment, deployment and political engagement of the young during periods of armed conflict. A particular focus will be on the participation of the young in resistance movements and their acquisition of political consciousness. In accord with this, we shall take account of their rejection of the manner in which they are often categorized once war has ended and of some political compromises that accompany the return to peace. Material will be presented that deals with the harm war does, including the damage wrought on children's bodies by land mines; their predicament when born as a consequence of rape; and the callous targeting of children as members of civilian populations during the conduct of war. Representations of children's terror and suffering in the media will lead us into a consideration of its use and abuse. Finally, we shall look at various ways in which conflicts are brought to an end and the attention that is given to children's needs in the process. Patterns of healing and ideas about trauma will be traced with regard to recent formulations of diagnosis, counseling and attempts to lay the ghosts of the past.

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