Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

Every day throughout the world children are affected by the conflicts taking place in their communities due to thousands of civilians being killed or wounded. More than half of these civilians are children. For instance, in our recent history we as Americans have been at war with Iraq on their soil.  As a result children in Iraq have been exposed to armed conflict.  "According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2 million children have been killed by conflict over the last decade; 6 million children have been made homeless; 12 million have been injured or disabled; and there are at least 300,000 child soldiers operating in 30 different conflicts across the globe" (Danziger, 2003).  The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement work towards limiting the effects children experience as a result of witnessing or experiencing conflict in their childhood. For example, in Iraq children are being exposed to explosive remnants of war like artillery shells, grenades, mortar and cluster bombs to rockets and missiles. Red Crescent support various social groups in Iraq by examining and informing local communities about the dangers of explosive remnants of war.
In my early childhood years, I remember being in my aunts house during one of California's largest earthquakes in late 1980s. I remember being extremely scared and had no clue what to do while everything around me was falling out of their orginal places. I remember hearing my aunt telling me to stand under a doorway for safety, but I didn't know what she meant or why she wanted me to do such a thing. After hearing her voice, all I remember is a bookcase beginning to fall towards me and my dad picking me up and running to stand under doorway until the earthquake was over.  After all everything settle down, my aunt and dad sat me down to talk to me about what to do during an earthquake. In addition, during school I remember having to participate in frequent earthquake drills.
In conclusion, I believe it is crucial to inform children and local communities about various natural disasters that may occur in their area because it is the only way to increase children's chances of feeling safe.  Children who feel safe tend to explore their learning environments freely which contributes to them becoming life-long learners.  As a Californian mother, I make sure to prepare my daughter on what to do during an earthquake or fire. I also think it is awesome that the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement contribute to spreading awareness to children an families in Iraq about the dangers of explosive remnants of war.

Reference
Danziger, N. (2003). Children and war. The Magazine of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,Retrieved from http://www.redcross.int/en/mag/magazine2003_3/4-9.html