The Relationship Between Armed Conflict and Health

10/27/19

War nowadays is very different from what it used to be. Soldiers would spend anywhere from a couple months to many years fighting, and most of the time, they would not come back alive. War today is very different. It can be started and stopped within seconds, within the time it takes to drop one bomb on a nation. Since bombing is the new method of these armed conflicts, more civilians are being affected. In fact, sometimes, they are actually the specific target. There are two ways to count casualties during war: direct casualties and indirect casualties. Direct casualties include the people who die in the line of fire. Indirect casualties include the people who die from famine and disease. Some of the major contributors to these indirect casualties are malnutrition and the fact that civilians are forced out of their homes. Indirect casualties are also worse if there is a poor state of health in the country before the conflict even starts. Most of the time, civilians are not able to get to clinics when conflicts are going on. Even if the providers are close, it is not safe for them to travel. Thus, the civilians’ health deteriorates, which in turn adds to the indirect number of casualties.

            Susan McKay explains in her article “The Effects of Armed Conflict on Girls and Women” (1998) that “As men leave to fight, women are increasingly responsible for maintaining the social fabric of their communities . . . and are instrumental in providing a sense of family and community continuity that supports children’s healing from war-related trauma” (p. 381). If something happens to the women of the household during times of conflict, the whole family is bound to apart. Women are expected to take care of the children and make sure that they are safe and healthy. However, if they are not in the house, they cannot fulfill this role. Many indirect casualties that come from war can be attributed to the mass rape of women that occurs—they then die from STDs and suicide. Without their mothers, sisters, and grandmothers, the children of the households cannot fend for themselves, especially during a time of war. They cannot protect themselves from the conflict, nor can they treat themselves if they were to catch a disease. This separation from their mothers can also lead to a downward spiral in mental health as well, seeing that the effects of war could easily traumatize a child.

           From researching this topic, I learned that every person’s health in a civilization at war is affected in some way. Whether it be the men who are fighting and dying or the women who are being raped and killed leaving helpless children behind, no one is safe from the adverse effects of armed conflict on health. However, if the governments of the countries prone to armed conflict can be prepared for what may come, many of these issues could be solved. The countries need to develop their own healthcare systems in times of peace that way, when conflict does begin again, they will be prepared to take care of their citizens instead of waiting for outside help.

Reference:

McKay, S. (1998). “The effects of armed conflict on girls and women.” Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology 4(4), 381-392. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ 10.1207/s15327949pac0404_6