Women and war

Women and girls bear the brunt of armed conflicts fought today both as direct targets and as "collateral damage". They are often the target of gender based violence such as rape, enforced prostitution and sexual slavery. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that women and children comprise 70-80% of the world’s refugee and internally displaced population. *

• The International Committee of the Red Cross has several downloadable reports on the effect of war upon women.  
   
• In October 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted unanimously Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. It focused on the disproportionate impact of war upon women and the role that they can play in peacekeeping and conflict resolution. Find out more at PeaceWoman, the site of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
   
• The United Nations Development Fund for Women has a site, Women War Peace with information on Resolution 1325. and related issues.
   
• Amnesty International is active in protecting the rights of women and children and they have a factsheet on violence against women in armed conflict.
   
• See also our section on Refugees.

Children and war

In the past decade around 2 million children have been killed in armed conflict, three times as many have been seriously injured or permanently disabled, and countless others have been forced to take part in or witness horrifying acts of violence.

Some 300,000 children are serving as soldiers in current armed conflicts in more than thirty countries around the world. In addition to taking part in combat, they serve as human mine detectors and participate in suicide missions. Because of their immaturity and lack of experience, they suffer higher casualties than their adult counterparts.

• For more information about the impact of war on children see the World Revolution website.
   
• See also the World Revolution section on child soldiers.
   
• The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers works to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, secure their demobilisation and ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Civilian deaths in Iraq

In 2002 Gen. Tommy Franks, who directed the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, sidestepped the question of the number of civilian casualties by saying, “We don’t do body counts”. A group of independent researchers decided to meet the need. Their research methods are so credible that President Bush himself quoted their findings in December 2005.

• For recent estimates of the civilian death toll in Iraq, see the Iraq Body Count website.

• Iraq Body Count bases its data on reported deaths; but many go unreported. The prestigious medical journal The Lancet has put the civilian death toll in Iraq at closer to 100,000. See for example the Washington Post.

• For an overview of the humanitarian toll in Iraq, see the Amnesty International website.

• For a more detailed discussion of the humanitarian toll in Iraq, see the Global Policy Forum website.

Low intensity conflicts

Many conflicts around the world are not sufficiently widespread or intense to be regarded as wars, but nevertheless exact a huge toll on human life and wellbeing. Examples include the Israel-Palestine conflict, in which nearly 5000 people have lost their lives since 2000*, and the ongoing conflict in Chechnya, where human rights violations are rife*. Civilians often suffer disproportionately in such conflicts, and human rights violations are common.

• For more information see the Human Rights Watch and Global Focus websites. 

The psychological impact of war

War leaves long-term scars not only on people’s bodies but also on their minds. Post-traumatic stress, bereavement, psychosomatic health problems, drug abuse and suicide can affect both troops and civilians years after a conflict has officially ended.

• For more information about the psychological impact of war on civilians see the book "The Psychological Impact of War Trauma on Civilians : An International Perspective" by Stanley Krippner (Praeger 2003).
   
• For information and articles about the psychological impact of the Iraq war and subsequent occupation on Iraqi civilians see  the Global Policy Forum website.

African conflicts

Many of the longest and deadliest wars of the last quarter-century have taken place in Africa. They have been fuelled by poverty, ethnic divisions, weak or nonexistent governance, and the lure of natural resources such as oil, timber and diamonds. In many instances the international response has been woefully inadequate. Despite these obstacles, peace has been achieved in some countries including Sierra Leone and Angola.

• For an overview of recent and current African conflicts see the Crimes of War Project and the Global Issues website.

Landmines

Landmines maim or kill over 15,000 civilians every year, including 8,000 to 10,000 children.

• For more information, and to take action, see and the Adopt-A-Minefield and International Campaign to Ban Landmines websites.

 
• Established by Australian Vietnam War veterans, the MiVAC Trust works to clear landmines and assist mine victims.