OPINION | War’s Youngest Victims

Wars are thieves.

They steal resources from both parties involved–a loss even powerful countries cannot avoid. Wars deplete military equipment–warships, missiles, and the like–all while causing a deep strain on their economies. It steals lives where countries directly affected suffer the most and the violence reduces years of progress into piles of rubble. The damage, however, goes beyond physical ruination–it extends to those who did not choose to be involved in the first place.

Wars are thieves–and children are their easiest targets.

One of the first victims of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran were over 100 children killed after an unlawful U.S. strike on a school in Minab, Hormozgan province in Iran as reported by Amnesty International. To date, nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians have been killed in dozens of strikes that have hit schools, hospitals, and other nonmilitary infrastructure since the Iran war began last February 28–at least 217 of them were children.

This is not an isolated tragedy; children have been collateral damage in wars they did not start, nor did they choose. We once saw it happen in Gaza, Palestine, where thousands of children have been killed–more than a hundred of whom died amidst the ceasefire. Beyond stealing resources and lives, wars also serve as developmental thieves–they steal children’s innocence, their ability to grow, and their opportunity to experience a future that was once promised to them.

At the age of most victims, they should not be expected to endure these tragedies. A child is only expected to learn how to acquire certain physical skills for play or learn how to get along with their peers; yet, in Iran a heavier responsibility is placed against their small hands. According to Human Rights Watch, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is currently conducting a campaign to recruit children as young as 12–barely adolescent–to become “homeland-defending combats.” A child that young should still be organizing their knowledge on physical and social reality, yet in a cruel twist of fate, they are being recruited to face serious risk of death and injury due to lack of manpower during the war.

If the war does not take their lives–it takes something else.

Their wrongful involvement in the conflict steals their ability to enjoy their childhood the way they rightfully should. They will no longer feel the weight of their backpacks as they sprint towards schools, for they now carry weapons of war they barely know how to use. And gone will be the days where they can exercise their feet to play catch with their peers, as they will now use them to seek cover when the U.S. or Israel strikes again. While the government may have acted out of sheer desperation to defend their country, they also owe it to their people to protect one of their most vulnerable sectors against the tragedies of war.

It is their duty to lead them to survival, not use them for survival. However, even for those who survive, the war does not end within them.

Having experienced a war, especially during someone’s formative years does not only leave them physical damage–such as diseases–that may last them a lifetime. It also leaves a psychological impact, stealing their ability to experience life the same way as they did before conflicts transpired. Witnessing such tragedies firsthand increases the risk for trauma-related disorders such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This leads to long-term emotional, behavioral, and even cognitive consequences such as distress, constant hypervigilance for possible threats, and dissociation. This reinforces the brain to be in a constant “survival mode” which may impede learning and growth.

Moreover, healthy development requires stable and nurturing conditions–an environment where they can freely explore and form meaningful connections with others. Exposure to chronic violence during war may sever secure attachments as caregivers may not be able to take care of them due to stress or lack of stability. Ultimately, the presence of war drives children away from school and into hiding resulting in delayed learning which may later on lead to the inability to acquire new skills.

However, war is not a thief that only steals from those within its reach. It stretches across borders, taking from those it did not have to touch.

Economic instability and rising costs of basic commodities due to higher oil prices create an environment where children’s needs are no longer met–placing their development at risk even when they are far from the battlefield. The inability to purchase essentials such as food may slowly drive a household into poverty. Poverty may slowly drive children into malnutrition–impeding their physical and cognitive development. This pattern has been observed across multiple conflict areas for years; according to the World Food Programme, conflict is the main driver of hunger in most of the world’s food crises.

In the face of such far-reaching consequences, inaction is no longer an option–especially when the cost is measured in stolen childhood.

Ending a war is complex–almost impossible–but mitigating its impact on innocent lives, especially children, is something the world can start working on. Governments across the world owe their children better protection policies in times of conflict. Humanitarian aid–food, shelter, and healthcare–must also be accessible to the public at all times. More importantly, mental health support must be provided to the victims of the conflict to allow healthier coping and mitigate the psychological impact of the violence inflicted by wars.

These are not grand solutions to end such conflicts, but necessary steps to protect what little remains from its destruction.

There are no true victors in war–for wars are shameless thieves. They steal resources and lives, but most importantly, a child’s chance at a future. Every missile fired and every border defended comes at the cost of innocence, growth, and hope. In the end, war leaves behind only what it has taken: a world robbed of its children’s tomorrow.