Gaza: Childhood Stolen by Nonstop War Palestine- Sawa Organization: Childhood in Gaza, a word detached from all its meanings except for the number of years that makes the age. Childhood, characterized by spontaneity and innocence, was stolen from the Gaza Strip children due to the war, and the life of oppression, hunger and homelessness took over playing and joy which any child in the world is supposed to be able to enjoy. United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Offices statistics confirm that the number of casualties of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip since July 7th was 1,976, among which 1,417 were young civilians, 459 children and 239women, whereas the number of injured was 10,193, among which 3,084 were children and 1,415 women. Due to the massive destruction of civilians houses, 618004 civilians were displaced and ended up in shelters or hosted by families whose houses are far from the directly targeted areas. Statistics show that the number of homeless children reached 25220, along with 373000 children who need psychological and social support, as a result of their suffering and shock, or due to symptoms of anxiety such as insomnia, panic attacks, nightmares, eating disorders, anger, depression, and so forth. Let us not forget that studies show that 52% of the Gaza Strip population are under the age of (18). According to Pernille Ironside, Chief of the field office in Gaza ran by UNICEF, 400000 children are now facing (extremely dark) future, due to trauma caused by the Israeli Assault. Bleeding Wounds Despite the various reasons of wounds and death, pain remains pain. That shared pain has become the talk of each family and child in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Child Helpline 121 continues receiving those painful stories of those who lived the war horrors. Describing a call she received from Gaza, SAWAs employee said: The phone rang. As soon as I said Hello, SAWA is speaking, I heard a child weeping. After a while, he said in a trembling voice: All my family is dead; they bombed our house; I am left with no one to help me; I have nothing on me; I do not know what to do. What is left for me now that I have lost my entire family? How can I go on with my life? In another call SAWA helpline received, a father said: After my 11-year daughter saw on television bodies of children kept in ice-cream refrigerators, she is scared to open the fridge at home, fearing she might find children bodies there, and if someone asks her to bring something from the fridge in the kitchen, she cries a lot. The psychological impact on children can be divided into two parts: children directly affected by the aftermaths of the war, by loosing family members, house, or by the lack of food, water and safe haven, along with the fear and anxiety that accompanies war. The second part is because of the event itself which constitutes a trauma and which is manifested by fear, bed-wetting, stress, disorders, lack of concentration and others symptoms. SAWA is working hard to provide adequate support, to help all the young victims of the bombardments, ground incursions and general aggression, and to specifically address post-traumatic symptoms (PTS). For many children, PTS is exacerbated by a denial and failure to address the problems it causes. This leads to further instability or confusion among victims. Symptoms vary from temporary anxiety and fear to long-term disorders, such as severe anxiety, depression, withdrawal and anger. The usual psychological impacts of war and strife often last between one to three months. If it lasts longer, the victim will need urgent and intensive therapeutic intervention. It is very important for parents and people around the victim to avoid making comments like what are you afraid of? dont be afraid, the war is over, or it is shameful to cry. Such comments make the victim feel guilty and entail unintended accusations that (s)he is to blame for war tragedies that the aggression caused. Palestinian Child Helpline 121 (SAWA) works around the clock, seven days a week, to provide psychological support and counseling for children who need it, especially the victims of the repeated wars on civilians since day one of the Israeli Assault on Gaza. The helpline received 244687 calls and has responded to 199072 calls, and 3834 cases have been documented.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:33:16 +0000
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