War, children, and education.

"I was ordered to kill an old woman." "Every morning I have to help my mother with the preparation and selling of chapattis; I have to do that, because otherwise, we would not have enough to eat." "K wasn't yet 15 years old when she was forcibly abducted by rebel soldiers, at night, from her home and made to kill a boy who tried to escape from the rebels" (PeaceMatters.org, 2000, [paragraph] 1). Are you skilled in stripping and reassembling an AK-47? A child of 10 fighting for a country at war is educated in doing just that, if for nothing more than survival.

In countries such as Pakistan, war has become a way of life. Unfortunately, war and fighting have taken the place of childhood and schooling. Worldwide, more than 100 million children do not attend school (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2004) where war is a way of life. To bring this situation to the attention of organizations and governments that can make a difference, two dozen high school students in Sarasota, Florida, walked 4-1/2 miles along Fruitville Road, mimicking the trek children in Uganda take every night to avoid being kidnapped by a rebel army (Kridel, 2006). In the former Yugoslavia, more than a million children have not had the opportunity to attend primary or secondary school for more than two years (Melicharova, 2000).

Conflicts in these countries will continue and whole generations of children may know only war and fighting, growing up without a basic education. Without education, countries will not have an opportunity to change. Lacking educated children, change becomes impossible in these countries. Education can change underdeveloped countries into developed countries. In addition to providing for the welfare of these countries, education is also the foundation of teaching tolerance. Benyon (2006, [paragraph] 2) states that, "The benefits of an educational system that incorporates values of human rights, respect for human life and peace is increased where children have fewer other influences."

Further research regarding war and the effects on children, especially children with disabilities, is currently in progress. The data collected to date reveal that even when children do manage to experience some education, war changes the social and economic roles of children, as witnessed by the girl in Pakistan who must work making and selling chapattis. Zwi and Grove (2006, [paragraph] 5) explain that the greatest burden of ill health in conflict situations is borne by children. "Disabled children have greater difficulty escaping during attacks, especially those with a moving, learning, or visual difficulty. Parents may have to make difficult decisions about who to leave behind when fleeing. In 1993, a Lebanese man admitted that he fled his home taking a cow rather than his disabled daughter, because the cow was of more use" (CBR News, [paragraph] 5).

Education is power when used to teach reading and writing. Education also can teach children survival techniques, such as how to avoid the dangers of minefields, saving a leg or arm or, more important, a life. Education also can teach conflict resolution and provide a time to heal and rebuild. Education is made up of 20 percent children. However, children are 100 percent of the future.

References

Benyon, J. (2004). Peaceful future. UNESCO World Heritage Series, 10. Retrieved August 13, 2006, from www.ppu.org.uk/chidren/children_effect_yugo. html

CBR News. (2006). Retrieved January 7, 2006, from news.google.com

Kridel, K. (2006, April 30). Students march for Ugandan children. Herald Tribune, pp. B1, B2.

Melicharova, M. (2000). Children in war. PeaceMatters, 29. Retrieved August 12, 2006, from www.ppu.org. uk/peacematters/pm2000/pm2000_32.html

Zwi, A., & Grove, N. (2006). Researching with children in conflict-affected settings. Retrieved August 21, 2006, from www.odihpn.org/report.asp?ID=2820

--Leslie A. Oja, Argosy University, Seattle