Tag: refugees

Violence in Africa

Posted on by kathiemm

First in a series by guest author Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka

Some schools of thought maintain that force or violence can sometimes be an effective means of resolving conflicts. The reality, however, is that violence breeds violence. The perceived enemy whom you beat down today may rise up tomorrow and obliterate you.

African wars and conflicts--map
African wars and conflicts 1980-1996. Image in public domain.

In cases of civil wars and insurgencies, the warring parties may believe that violence is the only way to either maintain the status quo or protect the rights and interests of a perceived marginalized or isolated group.

The bitter truth remains that it is the ordinary men, women, and children who are plunged into unimaginable suffering. Most of these civilians become Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) or refugees in their own homelands.

Most civil wars or crises happening in Africa today are manifestations of the “greed and grievance theory”—that is, it is the corrupt practices of many government officials that give rise to conditions of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy. These conditions in turn give rise to feelings of exclusion or marginalization, both of which are recipes for disaster and potentially violent confrontations.

Governments have the bulk of the blame for the under-developed state of most African countries. Therefore, it should be their responsibility to remedy those conditions through dialogue with the aggrieved parties and developmental projects.

Unfortunately, what most African governments do to silence or discourage any form agitation or protest is to engage in indiscriminate killings, unlawful incarceration, and torture. African politicians would rather die in power than take responsibility for their failures and resign. When the government responds with violence to political/economic issues, radical groups, more often than not, equally counter with force.

Thus, the cycle of violence continues until the power elite can become convinced of the benefits of nonviolence.

Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka has a Masters of Science in Conflict Management and Peace Studies from University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State. He is a member of Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, and works as a paralegal counsel at the Legal Aid Council for the Federal Ministry of Justice in Nigeria.

Earth Day during wartime (Part 1)

Posted on by patdaniel

Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day. Today we honor the Earth by calling attention to the common goals of the peace and environmental sustainability movements.

But first, some context: Assessing the impact of war on the environment can be fraught with complexity, but here is a sampling of those effects:

It works the other way, too–that misuse, destruction, and scarcity of natural resources can be the cause of war.  Examples include conflicts over oil in the Middle East, rare metals in the Congo, food shortages and water scarcity in South Asia and throughout the world. More and more, climate disruption is becoming or is predicted (pdf) to be a source of conflict.

In other words, environmental degradation is a threat to global security.

As you celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, please consider what it will take to stop the intertwined scourges of warfare and environmental destruction. Even more important, make a commitment to do something about them.

Pat Daniel, Ph.D., Managing Editor of Engaging Peace

Effects of war on children

Posted on by kathiemm

[Note from Kathie Malley-Morrison:  Today we welcome guest contributor Mimi Maritz, a senior at Boston University studying psychology and economics. In her free time she volunteers for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and practices meditation and yoga. Next year she will be working as a special education teacher in Boston as part of the Teach for America corps.]

By Mimi Maritz

Among the many devastating aspects of war is its effects on children. Far from innocent bystanders, children are often casualties of war–through death, disease, malnutrition or injury. For example, from 1985-1995, an estimated 2 million children were killed due to war*.

Botswana Defense soldier and Somali toddler during an arms raid in Mogadishu
Botswana Defense soldier and Somali toddler during an arms raid in Mogadishu (Image in public domain)

Many children in war zones become refugees due to separation from or death of their family. Orphaned children often have limited access to food and clean water and therefore become susceptible to deadly illnesses and face life-long health problems. It is estimated that such diseases account for 60-80% of the deaths of displaced children of war*.

Those that survive are not considered lucky. In many instances, vulnerable boys are brainwashed into becoming child soldiers, working with the oppressors and regularly engaging in combat. Girls can be exploited into sex trade, forced to offer sexual services, married off to rebel leaders, or even sexually mutilated.

Beyond death, injury, exploitation and displacement, children in war zones are often emotionally damaged and suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They typically lose years of education, and the level of violence that they see can alter their normal development and lead to a skewed sense of reality.

If we hope to live in a peaceful and just world, we must start with the children because they are the seeds of the change we hope to see.

To learn more about the effects of war on children, visit the following websites:

http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/ciwcont.htm

http://thechildrenofwar.org/web2/

http://www.warchild.org/index.html

References

*Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children. (1996, August 26). UNICEF. From www.unicef.org/graca/a51-306_en.pdf
Children’s Drawings of the Spanish Civil War: A Virtual Exhibition Catalog. (n.d.). Columbia University in the City of New York.
Danziger, N. (n.d.). Children and war. The power of humanity.
Barbara, J. S. (2006, December 1). Impact of War on Children and Imperative to End War. National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Misrepresenting or minimizing consequences (Moral disengagement, part 6)

Posted on by kathiemm

Misrepresenting or minimizing consequences is another moral disengagement mechanism.

Psychologist Albert Bandura notes that when people commit atrocities for personal gain or as a response to social pressure, one way to offset shame and guilt is to minimize or distort the ill-effects of their behavior.

During contemporary warfare by the developed nations, this process is facilitated by modern technology, which allows maiming and killing from high in the air–thus avoiding the sight of blood, guts, and dismembered bodies; the screams of pain, pleas for help; and victims begging for an end to their ordeal.

It has been noted that the Pulitzer-prize winning photograph of the naked Vietnamese girl running from her napalmed village played a pivotal role in turning the American public against the Vietnam War.

To avoid a repetition of that kind of public disavowal of their political and military aims, more recent governments have exercised extreme control over media portrayals of wartime events.

Misrepresenting and minimizing consequences is rampant in relation to the environmental consequences of war. Among the long-lasting effects of war that are minimized right out of people’s consciousness are:

  • Sunken ships that continue to pollute the oceans
  • Landmines that continue to maim and kill
  • Hazardous waste from the manufacturing of weapons
  • Destruction and pollution of wildlife and human habitat through use of herbicidal weapons such as Agent Orange
  • Environmental degradation from the thousands of refugees fleeing the armed conflict.

(For more about environmental consequences of war, see the report of the Environmental Literacy Council.)

In reaction to the minimizing, misrepresenting, and denial of the environmental effects of war, the United Nations, in 2001, declared November 6 to be  International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Note: This post was adapted from my previously published article in Peace Psychology (a publication of the American Psychological Association), Spring, 2009.