State of the World's Children 2013 - Unicef

FOCUS
(continued)
as well as a tendency towards
engaging in risk-taking behaviour,
make well-planned risk
education especially important
for children.
Assistance for child
survivors
ERW and landmine incidents
affect children differently than
they do adults, whether they
are directly killed or injured,
or become victims as a result
of the death or injury of family
and community members.
Child survivors who are injured
have specific needs that must
be taken into consideration, in
terms of both physical rescue
and rehabilitation and social
and economic reintegration.
Smaller than adults, children
are more likely to die or suffer
serious injuries from a blast,
including severe burns, shrapnel
wounds, damaged limbs
and other injuries that can
lead to blindness or deafness.
Child casualties in countries heavily
affected by mines and explosive
remnants of war, 2011*
Country
Total civilian
casualties
Their height means that their
vital organs are closer to the
detonation, and children have
a lower threshold for substantial
blood loss than adults. If
an anti-personnel landmine is
stepped on, its blast will invariably
cause foot and leg injuries,
with secondary infections that
usually result in amputation,
causing lifelong disabilities and
requiring long-term rehabilitation
support.
More than one third of all
survivors require amputation,
and while data concerning the
exact percentage of affected
children requiring amputation
are lacking, the percentage can
be expected to be higher for
children, given their smaller
size. When children survive
their injuries, their physical
rehabilitation is more complex
than that of adult survivors.
Children whose injuries result
in amputated limbs require
Child
casualties
Child casualties
as percentage
of total
casualties
Afghanistan 609 373 61%
Democratic Republic of the Congo 22 15 68%
Iraq 100 50 50%
Lao People’s Democratic Republic 97 56 58%
Sudan 62 30 48%
* Includes only casualties for which the civilian/security status and the age was known.
Source: Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.
more complicated rehabilitation
and, because their bones grow
more quickly than their soft
tissue, several re-amputations
may be required. They also
need to have prostheses made
as they grow. Few countries
affected by landmines and
ERW have the capacity necessary
to address the specific,
complex medical and physical
rehabilitation needs of child
survivors.
In addition to the physical
trauma, the psychological
consequences of surviving
an ERW or landmine blast
are often devastating for the
development of the child. They
include a sense of guilt, loss
of self-esteem, phobias and
fear, sleep disorders, inability
to speak and trauma that if left
untreated can result in longterm
mental disorder. Such
psychological effects of war on
children are difficult to document,
and they are not limited
to children who have sustained
physical injuries.
The social and economic
reintegration needs of child
survivors also vary considerably
from the needs of adults.
Addressing the psychosocial
impacts outlined above relies
heavily on age-appropriate
psychosocial support and
access to education. In many
countries, child survivors are
forced to cut short their education
because of the time needed
for recovery, and because
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THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2013: Children with Disabilities