Children bear scars of violence

By I.Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Buyung has lived for about a year in a refugee center in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, after the eruption of violence in neighboring East Timor last year forced his family to flee.

His goal is to be a soldier, a good one who is ready to help and support those needing assistance.

"I think it's great to be a soldier. I can have my own weapon. Isn't that cool? I can also shoot at the baddies," the nine-year- old boy said with a smile.

He has not forgotten the scenes he witnessed before his family fled.

"I enjoy seeing soldiers, especially when they're shooting their guns. Sometimes I still see the shooting in my dreams."

He smiled again. He was reluctant to say more about his dreams.

"I am happy right now, although I know this is only for a while. I am happy for the time being because I can meet new friends in Jakarta."

Buyung was in the capital for several days to attend the first National Children's Congress held from July 20 to July 23.

Nightmares haunt Maria, 12, and Stephanus, 13, East Timorese who now live in Atambua. They also participated in the congress, which was organized by the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA).

Maria is haunted by images of people being mutilated and blood flowing.

"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night. I try to sleep again but the same dream often returns," she said. Her big eyes looked drowsy.

She said she wanted to become a physician to help others.

For a boy coming into his teenage years, Steph is a bit shy and uncertain. He acknowledged he felt afraid of many things after witnessing the calamity in East Timor.

"I hate violence. I hate it," he murmured.

Impact

Most of us believe that children are gifts from God, but we still allow them to become caught in the fray of adult conflicts.

Unrest and violence in Aceh, Maluku, near the East Timor border, Poso and other regions continue, leaving hundreds of thousands of children bearing the psychological scars.

On a smaller scale, there are the brawls in areas like Matraman, Central Jakarta, and several towns in Java and Sumatra.

Psychologist Shinta Adelar said that any kind of violence would traumatize those who experienced, witnessed or were victimized by it.

"They may be angry, sad and so on. If they remain in those circumstances, they will have a distorted understanding of life. They will think that violence is the proper way, the best solution or the most effective way to survive."

Adelar said the violence in the country turned some parts of the country into war zones.

"And in every war, it's very common to recruit and arm the children to participate in the battle," she said.

Based on reports she received, many children were involved in the sectarian strife in Maluku.

"Whether the children are directly involved in the unrest, violence or not, they will have traumatic experiences. They will not live in peace anymore. It's so sad. In addition to the emotional side, they will also have physical impacts. They will grow up but will have barriers in daily socializing and thinking.

"It's hard. Especially for those who have witnessed torture or been tortured, they will have posttraumatic syndrome disorder. Their daily lives will be disrupted when they remember, see or hear something terrible."

Adelar, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Indonesia, said she found many children expressing fear and anger during a visit to a refugee camp in Atambua.

"It's understandable if some of them want to take revenge on others. Some reports said that people need a long time, between one year to five years, before they can engage with peace," she said.

"It's just a simple case, that many ask 'why me' when they find out that they are carrying a fatal disease," she said.

"The condition will be worse when they can't escape from the situation."

She warned that the country would have a generation with psychopathological and emotional disorders "although we understand that children's resilience is better than adults".

They may be able to suppress their feelings, but the risks are great, she said.

She noted there were reports which showed that several children in Maluku were already in need of treatment by psychiatrists.

The three-day congress, attended by 257 children from 16 provinces, focused on education and protection within the family, society and nation. The children concluded their gathering by extending several recommendations to the government.

In one statement, the children urge the government to pay more attention to them and to understand the suffering of living as refugees. They contend that conflicts among the political elite only worsen social and economic conditions and victimize children.

The question left unspoken for our leaders and us to answer is whether we can save our children from the violence around them.