Life in the war - 87 million children worldwide know no peace

87 million children worldwide live in conflict zones
Millions of children worldwide live in crisis and war zones where they face daily conflict, violence and other traumatic experiences. "Around the world, 87 million children under the age of 7 know nothing but conflict," according to the latest release of the United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF. This has profound consequences for the development of children.

Child development is largely determined by the environment in which children grow up. Worldwide, more than 86.7 million children at the age of 7 have spent their lives in conflict zones, which also jeopardizes the development of their brain function, UNICEF reports. There are serious lifelong consequences for cognitive, social and physical development, according to the latest release of the United Nations Children's Fund.

Millions of children worldwide live in conflict zones and are thus endangered in their development. (Picture: route55 / fotolia.com)

Development of the brain endangered
According to UNICEF, children are born with around 253 million functioning neurons. But whether the brain reaches its full adult capacity of about one billion neurons depends to a large extent on early childhood development. This is significantly influenced by factors such as breastfeeding and nutrition, contact with caregivers, learning opportunities and the opportunity to grow up and play in a safe and healthy environment. During the first seven years of life, a child's brain has the potential to activate up to 1,000 brain cells every second, and each of these cells (known as neurons) can connect to 10,000 more neurons a second, UNICEF reports. The resulting connections in the brain serve as building blocks for the future of a child and influence their health, emotional well-being and ability to learn.

Stress inhibits the connection of brain cells
Life in conflict zones is often associated with extremely traumatic experiences for children and the ever-present danger puts them in a persistent state of stress. This "toxic stress inhibits the connections of the brain cells - with significant lifelong consequences for cognitive, social and physical development," emphasizes UNICEF. Living in conflict zones "robs children of their safety, family and friends," says Pia Britto, UNICEF's early childhood development expert. Even the child's play and the development of an everyday routine are not possible. "These are all elements that give children the best chance of healthy development and effective learning so that they can later contribute to society and help build strong and secure communities when they reach adulthood," Britto continued.

UNICEF figures show that globally, one in eleven children under the age of seven grow up in a conflict zone. "In addition to the immediate physical threats facing children in crisis areas, they are also at risk of deep-rooted emotional scars," explains Pia Britto. It is therefore imperative that safe, child-friendly spaces be created in the crisis areas in order to facilitate a sense of childhood in the midst of conflict zones. (Fp)