Collective Violence and Childhood | Encyclopedia of early childhood development (2023)

introduction

Collective violence is any type of violence committed by groups of individuals or by states.¹It is termed social violence when used to advance a social agenda (e.g. police killings of street children, gang violence, hate group terrorism, structural racism), political violence when used for political reasons (e.g (e.g. armed conflict or terrorism by guerrilla or paramilitary forces) or economic violence to advance an economic agenda (e.g. drug cartel terrorism, social exclusion of the poor).¹For the purposes of this chapter, all three types of collective violence will be discussed, since distinctions in the agenda of the perpetrators may be irrelevant when considering their impact on children's health. While acts of omission (e.g., states denying children access to education, health care, or other basic needs) can also have serious impacts on children's health and development, the impact of this type of collective violence is beyond the scope of this chapter.

Collective violence can affect young children directly as victims or witnesses and indirectly through its impact on the availability, stability and responsiveness of caregivers and those around them.²Young children may be particularly vulnerable to threatening situations because of their limited cognitive or physical abilities to regulate their psychological response, reduce threat, or withdraw from the situation.³The health effects when children are exposed to mob violence depend on the level of exposure, the amount of care support available during and after the experience, and the level of disruption to daily life and the surrounding community.^2,4

Is

It is estimated that over the past decade more than 2 million children worldwide have died as a direct result of armed conflict, with at least three times that number left permanently disabled or seriously injured, 20 million left homeless and another million left orphaned or separated from their families . 🇧🇷⁵In addition to injuries, children exposed to armed conflict also have higher rates of mortality and morbidity from a variety of causes (e.g., infections, malnutrition).⁶The rates of mental disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorders, are particularly high in exposed children.⁷In addition, in 2009 more than 4 million children under the age of five were classified as refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers or stateless as a result of conflict or threat of persecution.⁸Armed conflict can also destroy or disrupt infrastructure (e.g. schools, health care, businesses, food production and distribution) and social cohesion, leading to insecurity, unpredictability and disorder in the daily lives of families and disrupting the fabric of communities that supports healthy children. in development.⁹Although fewer children are affected, terrorism (including bombings, kidnapping, kidnapping, extortion)¹⁰by political, economic or social groups can have similar physical and psychological effects on children as the effects of war.^2,4

Many children are also socially excluded. For example, more than 900 million people worldwide, including many children, live in slums.¹¹Most are deprived of formal education, health care, transportation, electricity, sanitation, clean water, secure property, political participation, security and the rule of law, increasing their risk of communicable diseases, toxins, natural disasters and stigma.¹¹Almost 900 million people belong to ethnic or religious groups that suffer discrimination.¹²Historical conditions, unfair social policies, and unfair economic arrangements have made Black and Hispanic children in the United States more likely to live in segregated and severely impoverished neighborhoods.¹³Systematic exclusion or discrimination against a population creates chronic stress, increased risk of exposure to adversity and toxins, and limited access to services, resources, and healthy options, leading to a variety of health problems throughout life.^14-15

Problems

Research and intervention on collective violence is hampered by:

1. The lack of clear and consistent definitions for some types of collective violence such as social exclusion;
2. The lack of reliable statistics on the number and characteristics of affected children;
3. Significant practical difficulties in collecting reliable data during or after armed conflicts;
4. Aggregated data obscuring the conditions of poor, homeless or transient populations;
5. Gaps in knowledge of root and proximate causes and in the effectiveness of interventions to prevent their occurrence or improve their impact.

search context

While research on the effects of mob violence is limited, it draws on the wealth of research on children's exposure to other forms of trauma and stress, such as B. Child abuse, domestic violence and poverty. This research from the social, behavioral and neurosciences, molecular biology, genomics and animal models is clearly converging on the negative effects of severe and chronic adversity on young children.^sixteen

main research questions

What are the underlying determinants and triggers of collective violence? Cross-sectional studies with large samples have identified correlates to the onset of armed conflict (e.g. poverty and inequality; political instability; weak democratic institutions; availability of lucrative opportunities such as illicit drugs or mineral, metal or oil extraction amid high levels of violence), unemployment, existence of marginalized or discriminated population groups, neighbors at risk of war)^17-26and terrorist incidents (eg.^27-29However, because they are based on a finite set of armed conflict or terrorism incidents, the consistency of these associations is difficult to test, and the relative importance of different correlates depends on the model specification. As far as possible, systematic reviews are required to identify consistent factors; More complex statistical analyzes are required to establish the robustness of factors identified in isolated studies or with conflicting impacts (e.g. democratization processes, social exclusion, ethnically or racially divided associations, natural disasters, resource scarcity and hoarding), moderators and contextual ones mediators. Furthermore, theoretical uncertainties surrounding the causes of collective violence suggest that new potential factors, particularly underlying causes (e.g. cultural values, economic systems), continue to need to be identified and studied. Studies that elucidate the causal chain of events or potential mechanisms would be helpful in identifying potential strategies and avenues for prevention. In the case of social exclusion or discrimination, there are descriptions of the potential causes of their occurrence in some communities and studies identifying their individual determinants, but research identifying the factors contributing to the perpetuation of structural racism or discrimination is needed to to develop interventions.

What types of interventions would effectively prevent or control collective violence? Some of the correlates of both armed conflict and terrorism may be modifiable (e.g. poverty, inequality, exclusion). Research into possible effective strategies (e.g. high-quality early childhood education; full employment with adequately paid jobs; universal protection against loss of income due to unemployment, illness, disability, old age, pregnancy, care for disabled children or relatives; comprehensive coverage of health, education, sanitation and water; redistributive economic and social policies; access to credit) to reduce poverty and inequality is increasing^30-31However, other strategies could be identified and evaluated. Strategies to reduce social exclusion or discrimination (eg, affirmative action, school and neighborhood desegregation) have been tried in the United States with mixed results.^32-34Other strategies with the potential to eliminate or reduce social exclusion (e.g. reducing policies or measures targeted or restricted to specific groups, universal provision of social protection and essential services of equal quality, intersectoral coordination of policies and measures, promotion and protection of human rights). , promoting and supporting genuine community empowerment, participatory governance^35-36) must be evaluated. Similarly, there are studies examining the factors that lead to early intervention in armed conflict situations (eg^37-38), studies are also needed to assess the effectiveness and possible adverse effects of different interventions (e.g. sanctions, diplomacy, peacekeeping missions, military).

Which interventions are effective in reducing the impact of collective violence on children? Although governments and NGOs tend to respond to mob violence by providing basic needs and medical assistance,⁹Not all forms of collective violence (e.g. discrimination) are responded to, and when they are, they are sometimes too slow, inadequate or unfair. Because the caregiver function mediates and mitigates the effects of collective violence on children,²Community and societal level interventions that facilitate or support the functioning of nurses should be implemented and evaluated. Although limited research suggests that systematic preventive interventions are effective in reducing PTSD and depressive symptoms in older children traumatized by armed conflict or terrorism, only four have been rigorously evaluated and none have been developed for young children.⁴⁰

Current search results

Conditions such as forced displacement, social exclusion or segregation, particularly when they lead to poverty or are aggravated by poverty, can cause severe and uncontrollable chronic stress for young children who, unless protected by safe, stable and responsive caregivers, can become 'toxic'. can become. . emphasize."⁴¹Toxic stress experienced during sensitive periods of early growth affects brain structure and function, recalibrates the threshold for activation of the stress response system, and alters the immune and endocrine systems and inflammatory responses. These stress-related changes impact attention, decision-making, impulse control, emotion regulation, and physiological processes that contribute to increased vulnerabilities to future emotional instability, anxiety and depression disorders, learning, aggression, and abuse. obesity, asthma, respiratory infections, and heart, lung, and liver disease.^3,16

research gaps

Developing and evaluating interventions to prevent collective violence, such as armed conflict and terrorism, must be a priority. However, since preventive interventions rely on the identification and understanding of causal factors and mechanisms, research using a combination of historical, qualitative, and quantitative methods is needed to fill these gaps. Interventions that address root causes are more likely to have wide-ranging and long-term impacts, but identifying the factors that motivate governments to implement these potential interventions would be necessary. In the meantime, researchers might also consider evaluating interventions to mitigate the effects of mob violence on children. There is a need to identify the factors that contribute to the persistence and reproduction of the social exclusion of populations and interventions are needed to change them.

Conclusions

Collective violence includes any physical, sexual or psychological violence committed by larger groups of individuals or by states. Many children around the world are exposed to various forms of collective violence, such as armed conflict, terrorism and exclusion, discrimination or racism. Direct or indirect exposure (through its effects on caregivers) of young children to mob violence has serious lifelong consequences for children's cognitive, emotional and social development, as well as their physical and mental health. In addition to fatal and non-fatal injuries, mob violence can result in increased risk of infectious and chronic diseases and increased mortality through various mechanisms such as toxic stress, limited access to resources and services, or increased exposure to risk. Because caregiver function can cushion the effects of these exposures on children, interventions should be designed to facilitate and promote safe, stable, and responsive care. Research efforts should focus on the development and evaluation of interventions for the primary prevention of collective violence. These preventive interventions must be based on a better understanding of the underlying and initiating causes and their sequence in the causal chain of events.

Impact on Parents, Services and Policies

Parents can help mitigate the consequences when children are exposed to mob violence by providing safe, stable, and responsive care. Parents may also consider advocating for conditions that facilitate proper parenting and prevent mob violence from occurring. Services must provide the support parents need to continue providing safe, stable and responsive care for their children (e.g. adequate and stable housing, a safe environment, sufficient food, clean water, sanitation, medical care, including important PTSD work). . Policymakers should examine current and future policies to determine their potential impact on perceived causes of armed conflict and terrorism, and their impact on perpetuating discrimination or exclusion against subgroups of the population. Governments must protect all members of society and ensure equal access to the necessary conditions for health.

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To cite this article:

Klevens J. Collective Violence and Children. In: Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Peters RDeV, eds. Tremblay RE, topic ed.Encyclopedia of early childhood development[in line].https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/social-violence/according-experts/collective-violence-and-children🇧🇷 Published October 2011. Accessed December 2, 2022.

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