Working with Young Children Who are Victims of Armed Conflict

Abstract

Young children are particularly vulnerable to war and armed conflict. Although the long-term priority is always to try to unravel and reduce violence and conflict, in the short term some interventions may reduce suffering. In this article the authors report on recent evidence on psychosocial interventions designed to mitigate the impact of armed conflict on young children's development. A systematic review method was used to explore evaluations of interventions addressing the cognitive and psychosocial development of young children directly affected by armed conflict. In general the literature suggests therapeutic interventions drawing on the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder run the risk of imposing cultural norms from the global North. In contrast, more general psychosocial interventions and normalisation routines are likely to be more effective. But recent reviews also suggest that evaluation of interventions with children affected by armed conflict is weak. More robust evidence is badly needed.