Examines the terror, dislocation, and loss that daily confront both children and adults living in war zones. Written by child development professionals, this book delves into the critical issues of survival in Cambodia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and inner-city America. Discussion of the psychological and developmental effects of trauma in early life are illuminated by the real experiences of children who witnessed the brutal killing of family members, were maimed in conflict, or suffered the violence spawned by drug addiction and drug trafficking. Living in a war zone denies children their childhood: it also means living with danger and the chronic threat of violent assault that is a result of social identity and group affiliation. Even though children in growing numbers are dying in war zones, many are living and adapting. Child development professionals are urged to provide more than psychological first aid and to support programs designed to offer long-term therapy and rehabilitation for the children of war as well as to create a protected space for them in the midst of war. Table of Contents Foreword 1. Children and War 2. At What Cost? 3. Cambodian Survivors: Hell Is a Time and Place 4. Mozambique’s Children: Dying Is the Easy Part 5. Palestinians in Revolt: Children of the Intifada 6. Chicago: The War Close to Home 7. Making a Place for Children Who Have No Place to Be a Child
