Children of war

The scars inflicted by bullets may have healed or at least been partially mended. But for the 144 victims of the APS school attack on December 16, 2014, it is the emotional scars that should also concern us. Memories of that day must come flooding back as the footage plays out on television screens and images are flashed across social media. We do not know whether the children who survived, their parents or the parents and siblings of those who died have received any psychological counselling or how adequate this was. It seems in many cases they have not. Survivors have said they remain badly affected by the horrendous episode. There are also reports that it has affected their academic performance. Even today, a year on, the effects on these children linger on. This is true in fact of all the children of war who live across our country. Those in Swat saw terrible scenes during the period of Taliban rule as people were beheaded in public and schools forcibly shut down. Some effort to offer rehabilitation to child soldiers who fought with the Taliban was made, and was a success. But was enough done for the victims, for the children who witnessed unimaginable horrors?

We should be asking the same questions about those who live in other areas of conflict, including towns struck by US drone attacks or caught up in other battles. Children are always the most vulnerable victims of war. This is true around the world. Experts point out that children need prolonged psychological support to overcome the trauma. So do their parents and siblings. It does not appear this support has been offered in the case of the APS victims or others affected by the war on terror. Indeed, the sense of fear has permeated into other places where children who may not directly have encountered terrorism still feel the sense of fear that hangs over them as a result of what happened in other places and the security threats that have existed since then. The trauma of victims is not something to be trifled with. It can have a huge impact on the lives of hundreds. We should be examining how to tackle this problem and how to bring some sense of normalcy back into the lives of all those whose wellbeing has been torn apart by guns, bullets and terror. This indeed should be the primary duty at this point. The victims must be on top of the priority list and from the limited accounts we have heard, it is quite obvious they are in dire need of the counselling and support that can enable them to move on, past the tragedies which darkened their lives.