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AAP issues policy statement on effects of armed conflict on children
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ORLANDO, Fla. — The AAP issued its first policy statement on the effects of armed conflicts on children. The report was presented here at the at the academy’s National Conference & Exhibition.
“It is critically important that we understand the depth and breadth of these issues, that the impact of armed conflict affects hundreds of millions of children worldwide,” Jeffrey Goldhagen, MD, MPH, FAAP, a member of the AAP Section of International Child Health, told Infectious Diseases in Children. “But, it’s also critically important to understand that children are resilient. If we provide them the nurturing and safe environment that they require to grow and develop, we can impact the trajectory of their life course. These are issues that need to be addressed at the levels of public policy, and each of us as individuals and through our organizations and governments need to be vocal and stop the carnage that is impacting children worldwide.”
In 2015, there were more than 220 armed conflicts around the world, including 43 identified as full wars. One in 10 children are impacted by armed conflict around the world, Goldhagen said. He added that children are being engaged as combatants and being used as targets in these conflicts.
The AAP recommendations in the policy statement include:
- Health professionals should collaborate with refugee resettlement groups to provide care and other needs for families’ integration into communities.
- Children affected by armed conflict should be protected from all forms of torture and the deprivation of liberty.
- Children fleeing armed conflict should be allowed to petition for asylum and be screened for possible evidence of human trafficking.
- Children affected by conflict should have access to education.
- Children should not be separated from families during displacement or resettlement.
Julie Linton, MD, MPH , co-chair of the AAP Immigrant Health Special Interest Group and a pediatrician in South Carolina, discussed children and families arriving at the southern border of the United States seeking safe haven.
“Immigrant families, including those who come seeking protection, are part of the fabric of the United States,” she said.
She added that children she cared for in both North and South Carolina have been threatened by gangs on their way to school.
“Armed conflict is a form of toxic stress,” Linton said. “Serious prolonged stress, known as toxic stress, can harm the short- and long-term health of children and families.” – by Bruce Thiel
Reference:
Shenoda S, et al. Pediatrics. 2018;doi:10.1542/peds.2018-2585.
Disclosures : Goldhagen and Linton report no relevant financial disclosures.