Traumatised Iraqi children suffer psychological damage

[Barrett808]

Source: IRIN

BAGHDAD, 16 July 2007 (IRIN) - For two months, Obeid Jaafar Khalifa, 52, has been worrying about how he will cope with looking after his deceased brother's four children. Obeid already has six of his own children to look after.

"In total, I have to feed 10 children in addition to my wife and me," said Khalifa, an employee at Iraq's Agriculture Ministry. He took over responsibility for the children when a car bomb killed their parents five months ago.

...

"Families left to care for children who have lost one or both parents are already stressed to the limit, unable to cope with extra burdens. Many of Iraq's skilled social workers have been leaving the country," the report said.

Citing the UN's civilian casualty figures for 2006 which indicate up to 100 civilian deaths per day, UNICEF said: "Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of children will have lost at least one parent. And if violence continues at current levels, even more will lose a parent in 2007."

"Such children will be automatically deprived of their rights and are likely to fall into potentially harmful forms of labour," said Kholoud Nasser Muhssin, a researcher on family and children's affairs affiliated to the University of Baghdad. "Some 60-70 percent of Iraqi children in Iraq are suffering from psychological problems and their future is not bright. Some lost their parents or one of their family members or relatives; others witnessed traumatic events or were subjected to sexual harassment," Muhssin added.

Read more: http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/4ef14e...

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd with so much sadness. nt

[LeftishBrit]

2. Truly horrible

And all because our governments chose to play with fire near a powder keg.

[ret5hd]

3. We talk of our soldiers...they have an ENTIRE COUNTRY with PTSD.

[bdamomma]

4. we are truly going to pay for this.

these thugs in our government have got to go, especially Cheney!!

[Cant trust em]

5. Fahrenheit 911

Republicans can say what they want about Moore's facts in Fahrenheit 911 but the image that struck me the most was the woman who was carrying her dead son in her arms crying. That is a consequence of the war that they don't want to talk about.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. duh

Pretty much a no-brainer.

[Control-Z]

7. What else could these children be

but psychologically damaged? Are there people who believe these kids are just taking it all in stride?

My mother died, tragically, when I was 7. I didn't take it in stride. When my father died and I became an orphan I didn't take that in stride either, in fact I took it harder. And I was living safely (although, insecurely) behind the Orange Curtain. No war zone. No bombs going off. No food, water or electrical shortages. No dead bodies in the streets.

I hate when people brush it off with the blanket statement that children are "resilient", as if that makes it ok. It's just such BS. They may appear to be good little soldiers - behaving the way adults expect them to, but inside, honestly, how in hell can they be anything but damaged?

Anyway - this shouldn't be news to anyone - it should be obvious and on all our minds all the time. I know it is and has been on mine. But I get accused of being too emotional about the ravages of war.

Perhaps I am.

[InkAddict]

9. Those "...good little soldiers?"

= easier recruitment everywhere we've deconstructed society and culture in the name of freedom.

Surely the USA can erase the trauma these kids face by giving them their freedoms. (Does this freedom only refer to which side provides the weapons to the traumatized and orphaned?)

Of course, Big Daddy Decider and his Vice Uncle Warbucks understand the present best and know the future. (the one without oil? - Can't you just wait to hear that "like freedom, the "green" wind and sun, and enriched-by-science dirt, not to mention the genetically-enhanced tassled product of such, corn,(food makes friends)are not THAT free" either?

But, what can one expect when our military "experts" on PTSD publicly blab on and on about the traumas of soldiers sharing refrigerator space in the barracks, advise on how best to secretly rendition and torture minds and bodies, and think of deployment in the occupation zone as a career opportunity, their own personal golden chance to practice there and at home with our very own "live" psychology lab specimens instead of speaking out about how our leaders have usurped American's laws, decency, and collective peace of mind by active promotion of mayhem, silent greedy concurrence, and just plain apathetic passive failure to prevent it!(SICKENING!)

Methinks those "little soldiers" in US-occupied countries will, of course, just live on in their new-found freedom, making "good" choices and contributing to a more peaceful world - NOT! That may not happen even when there's a whole "world" of infrastructure and support. So true that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and there's going to be a HUGE multi-generational bill to pay regardless of the reasons for this mess and its resolutions!

[cassiepriam]

8. The damage will last for generations.

[Javaman]

10. we are lucky if it only lasts for generations. nt

[cassiepriam]

11. Yes you are correct. nt