Children bear scars of violence<\/p>\n
By I.Christianto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Buyung has lived for about a year in a refugee
\ncenter in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, after the eruption of
\nviolence in neighboring East Timor last year forced his family to
\nflee.<\/p>\n
His goal is to be a soldier, a good one who is ready to help
\nand support those needing assistance.<\/p>\n
\"I think it's great to be a soldier. I can have my own weapon.
\nIsn't that cool? I can also shoot at the baddies,\" the nine-year-
\nold boy said with a smile.<\/p>\n
He has not forgotten the scenes he witnessed before his family
\nfled.<\/p>\n
\"I enjoy seeing soldiers, especially when they're shooting
\ntheir guns. Sometimes I still see the shooting in my dreams.\"<\/p>\n
He smiled again. He was reluctant to say more about his
\ndreams.<\/p>\n
\"I am happy right now, although I know this is only for a
\nwhile. I am happy for the time being because I can meet new
\nfriends in Jakarta.\"<\/p>\n
Buyung was in the capital for several days to attend the first
\nNational Children's Congress held from July 20 to July 23.<\/p>\n
Nightmares haunt Maria, 12, and Stephanus, 13, East Timorese
\nwho now live in Atambua. They also participated in the congress,
\nwhich was organized by the National Commission for Child
\nProtection (Komnas PA).<\/p>\n
Maria is haunted by images of people being mutilated and blood
\nflowing.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night. I try to
\nsleep again but the same dream often returns,\" she said. Her big
\neyes looked drowsy.<\/p>\n
She said she wanted to become a physician to help others.<\/p>\n
For a boy coming into his teenage years, Steph is a bit shy
\nand uncertain. He acknowledged he felt afraid of many things
\nafter witnessing the calamity in East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"I hate violence. I hate it,\" he murmured.<\/p>\n
Impact<\/p>\n
Most of us believe that children are gifts from God, but we
\nstill allow them to become caught in the fray of adult conflicts.<\/p>\n
Unrest and violence in Aceh, Maluku, near the East Timor
\nborder, Poso and other regions continue, leaving hundreds of
\nthousands of children bearing the psychological scars.<\/p>\n
On a smaller scale, there are the brawls in areas like
\nMatraman, Central Jakarta, and several towns in Java and Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Psychologist Shinta Adelar said that any kind of violence
\nwould traumatize those who experienced, witnessed or were
\nvictimized by it.<\/p>\n
\"They may be angry, sad and so on. If they remain in those
\ncircumstances, they will have a distorted understanding of life.
\nThey will think that violence is the proper way, the best
\nsolution or the most effective way to survive.\"<\/p>\n
Adelar said the violence in the country turned some parts of
\nthe country into war zones.<\/p>\n
\"And in every war, it's very common to recruit and arm the
\nchildren to participate in the battle,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Based on reports she received, many children were involved in
\nthe sectarian strife in Maluku.<\/p>\n
\"Whether the children are directly involved in the unrest,
\nviolence or not, they will have traumatic experiences. They will
\nnot live in peace anymore. It's so sad. In addition to the
\nemotional side, they will also have physical impacts. They will
\ngrow up but will have barriers in daily socializing and thinking.<\/p>\n
\"It's hard. Especially for those who have witnessed torture or
\nbeen tortured, they will have posttraumatic syndrome disorder.
\nTheir daily lives will be disrupted when they remember, see or
\nhear something terrible.\"<\/p>\n
Adelar, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia, said she found many children expressing
\nfear and anger during a visit to a refugee camp in Atambua.<\/p>\n
\"It's understandable if some of them want to take revenge on
\nothers. Some reports said that people need a long time, between
\none year to five years, before they can engage with peace,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"It's just a simple case, that many ask 'why me' when they
\nfind out that they are carrying a fatal disease,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"The condition will be worse when they can't escape from the
\nsituation.\"<\/p>\n
She warned that the country would have a generation with
\npsychopathological and emotional disorders \"although we
\nunderstand that children's resilience is better than adults\".<\/p>\n
They may be able to suppress their feelings, but the risks are
\ngreat, she said.<\/p>\n
She noted there were reports which showed that several
\nchildren in Maluku were already in need of treatment by
\npsychiatrists.<\/p>\n
The three-day congress, attended by 257 children from 16
\nprovinces, focused on education and protection within the family,
\nsociety and nation. The children concluded their gathering by
\nextending several recommendations to the government.<\/p>\n
In one statement, the children urge the government to pay more
\nattention to them and to understand the suffering of living as
\nrefugees. They contend that conflicts among the political elite
\nonly worsen social and economic conditions and victimize
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
The question left unspoken for our leaders and us to answer is
\nwhether we can save our children from the violence around them.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/children-bear-scars-of-violence-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}