Peace journalism and the consequences of war

Abstract or Introduction

Conflict is one of the defining features of the modern world. Since the end of the Cold War, there have been countless conflicts that have involved the deaths of millions of people and the suffering and displacement of millions of people and even more. It is impossible to accurately quantify human suffering due to conflict.

To take one indicator; it has been suggested that, in the last ten years, over two million children have died in conflicts, more than one million have been orphaned and more than six millions have been disabled or seriously injured. Wars have had an important part in psychiatric history in several ways, among the consequences of conflict and wars; the impact on the mental health of the civilian population is one of the most significant.

Women are mostly affected than men; other vulnerable groups are children, the elderly and the disabled. These are associated with the degree of trauma and the availability of physical and psychological support being linked, war adversely afflicts combatants and non-combatant alike, both physically and emotionally, death, injury, sexual violence, malnutrition, illness and disability are some of the most threatening physical consequences of war, while post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety is some emotional effect. The terrors and horror spread by the violence of war disrupts lives and severs relationships and families, leaving individuals and communities distressed.

The use of peace journalism could be coping strategies in countries witnessing conflicts, every day the media brings the horrors of wars and conflict on the television, war leaves a traumatic mark on the mental health and minds of many. Many terrorist target civilians by damaging hospitals, schools etc. while the scars of the holocaust are still scorching, and its memory are still fading.

War and terrorism have a long-lasting effect on a huge number of persons. Deaths at the time of conflict are just one element of: psychological trauma, displacement of people injury, diseases, and decline in economic and physical infrastructure. Violence is infectious; children exposed to it are more likely to grow up to be perpetrators or victims of violence themselves, the pernicious cycle can result in families and communities suffering violence for generations to come.