Children at war: Break the silence

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Lea Nohra, a medical student from Lebanon. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

And suddenly, the children’s cries and the mothers’ ululation raised, and a petrifying silence reigned. The loudest voices always defending human rights have shut. Remarkable breaches of the international declarations of human rights are noticeable. Many innocent people are losing their lives in vain including approximately 12 700 children in the last two years.

With disregard to children’s rights abuse all around the world, crimes and genocides have been addressed towards these vulnerable individuals in the last two years.

Where is the place of the United Nations in these times of conflicts? How would the sustainable development goals be achieved and thousands of children are spending days without eating anything or accessing clean water. Hunger and malnourishment rates are increasing, being one of the causes of children death. This fear of death is leading some parents to make their children eat FODDER! This trauma is on a continuum leading to many psychological issues and profound distress that children may face, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Children are being injured, bombed, and gun-fired! Complex surgeries may be needed for healing, if healing could be feasible. One has lost a hand there, one has lost a foot, another has lost an eye… and how pathetic it is to hear an innocent child asking his healthcare provider if his limb will regrow or when he will gain his sight again… and that’s all if healthcare providers were still available. Healthcare providers are being targeted too. Many of them have lost their lives as innocent victims, others are living fault of death, handcuffed in front of such tragedy.

Hospitals are bombed despite the international law prohibition! Resources are scarce and are becoming scanter day after day; and their allocation remains critical. Hospitals are collapsing. Healthcare infrastructure is disrupted, even essential medical supplies are destroyed or becoming inaccessible preventing children from receiving vital treatment in case of injury. Moreover, children, having lost their homes, trying to refuge in proximity to the hospitals with their parents considering it as “safe zones”, are exposed to not only physical danger but also to violations and different types of abuse. 

Children vulnerability doesn’t stop here but it evolves further. If not deceased from direct targeting, or from injuries, or from hunger and refeeding syndrome, they are dying from infections. In conflicts, poor sanitation conditions lead to the transmission of many infectious diseases such as cholera and measles especially that children are losing the strength of their immune system. 

Wondering about the authenticity of this? It is a common situation lived nowadays starting from Ukraine and Gazza arriving to Lebanon, the country to which I belong. Definitely, conflicts are global having no age, no time, no religion, no ethics and NO LOWS. Children shouldn’t be the target in time of conflicts! We, as workers in the healthcare field, our role is to break the silence and shed the light on the real situation blackout by the media.

About the author

Lea Nohra is a medical student from Lebanon. She has joined the medical field in 2020 believing that medicine is a mission rather than a job. It is not only a mission of healthcare providing but also a mission of human rights and dignity advocation. Additionally, she’s research passionate always thirsty to learn and dive more in the field, and gain new experiences in writing especially that she’s recently started her path in peer-review.

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