All over the world, terrorism has a great impact on many people, but rarely do we consider those it affects most: children. It can involve them either directly or indirectly, and this problem is a huge, life-changing factor for many. A lot of children experience mental health difficulties after they witness a terrorist attack or lose their family to one. Some children live in dangerous areas and have constant fear of becoming a victim of an attack. Other children do not witness this cruelty live, but instead see it on TV, read about it in a newspaper, or come across this information on the Internet. Thus, a large portion of all children are victims of terrorism.
Fear, horror, helplessness — this is what children feel after they witness a terrorist attack. They need our help and support more than ever.
Even if a child is not injured physically, they can be injured mentally. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that develops in response to witnessing or experiencing a threatening event. Due to their fragile psyches, children are especially susceptible to re-experiencing the trauma of these events, so they commonly avoid objects or places related to the attack. This can cause many issues in day-to-day life, and in these cases, they need help from a specialist, who will help them overcome these symptoms and conquer their fears.
It is clear that children are not able to cope with terrorist attacks. During these events, it is easy for them to get injured, and as such they will need medical care. Are there enough doctors to treat them? Do these doctors have the necessary medication or free access to it? Are there clinics or hospitals with the equipment necessary to operate on these children immediately? Are there any guarantees that terrorists will not attack this area again, putting both children and doctors in danger? If a child survives for now, is it possible to guarantee that they won’t be hurt again later?
All of these questions and more are very important to us, and are the main focus of our work. We strive to make our cities and countries safe for everyone, especially those it would affect the most. This is why we need the help of our supporters to ensure that there are proper safeguards and processes in place to deal with any and all problems that arise from terrorist acts.