Yet a great deal of attention needs to be given to the emotional well being of these children in order to avoid the many appalling psychological problems they face as well as in order to break the spiral of violence that festering emotional wounds are known to cause from one generation to the next. In the climate of violence and fear wars bring about, some families manage to protect their children from the worst emotional damage that war causes. Many, if not most, however, are physically incapable of doing so. Or they are so overwhelmed by events that they are themselves in dire need of care and protection. The same applies to the community.
Some communities manage to harbour their children against the rigours of war.
Others, themselves exhausted, can do little. It is then up to the national and local governments, civil sectors, and the international community to provide succour. In the very short term, it is of course a humane and moral imperative to help child victims of war in every possible way. How this is to be done is a question that requires careful consideration, both of war-induced traumas and of their avoidance where possible. The children of Iraq and Kuwait during the Gulf War were exposed to similar horrors, at similar frequency.