Salzburg Global Fellow Michal Gilad explains the vulnerability of children exposed to displacement and violence
This op-ed was written by Michal Gilad, who has attended several Salzburg Global programs, including Global Innovations on Youth Violence, Safety and Justice and Whole Child Development for Displaced Learners.
By nature, the periods prior to, during, and following displacement are characterized by high levels of vulnerability and risk for trauma-inducing experiences. As violence is one of the primary causes of displacement, exposure to violence is a particular area of concern. In a child, such exposure is likely to have a tremendous effect on educational and other life outcomes. At the same time, it is suggested that such trauma can be addressed and treated through trauma-informed educational programs with a social-emotional focus.
Even in a reality of war, crisis, and emergency, where everyone is at high-risk, children are found to be a particularly vulnerable population. On average, when compared to adults, children are more likely to be exposed to violence. Once exposed, they are likely to suffer more severe and long-term harm, and they are less likely to recover without assistance. Additionally, severe harm to children was shown to result not only from direct exposure - when violence is committed against the body of the child - but also from indirect exposure - when a child is negatively affected by violence committed against another. Indirect exposure to violence was empirically demonstrated to have an adverse effect on children even when the child was not physically harmed in any way during the violent event.
Why are children an especially vulnerable population?
There are multiple reasons for this heightened vulnerability. Empirical studies have found significant developmental, social, and cultural differences between children and adults that serve as contributing factors. Children tend to be physically smaller and weaker, and their undeveloped brains are extremely malleable. Exposure to trauma and violence during early years causes heightened levels of stress and overstimulation of certain brain structures, which can lead to chemical imbalance in the child’s brain and abnormal neurological development.
Children are also in critical phases of their emotional and cognitive development. Their identity is not yet formed and their personality traits are in transitory stages. They are less mentally stable, are extremely sensitive to external influences and psychological damage, and have limited abilities to process and cope with trauma. Exposure to violence and trauma at this critical stage can interrupt the delicate and complex process of maturation and affect the timing of major developmental milestones.
Furthermore, because of their social and psychological immaturity, children are dependent on adults for their survival and basic physical and emotional needs. They rely on adults to provide them with vital care, support, and guidance, which is essential for their development into healthy, productive members of society. They also depend on adult assistance to seek help for their recovery from trauma. When adult caregivers are incapacitated in any way or separated from the children under their care, as commonly occurs during situations of displacement, it has a direct effect on the child’s wellbeing and development.
Children are in the midst of a developmental process called "legal socialization", through which children develop an inclination towards compliance with the law, social norms, and figures of authority and legal actors. It is a process that is highly affected by childhood experiences with the law, the justice system, and with law enforcement. The process is disrupted by childhood exposure to violence, and the failure of the system to protect the child at a time of need. This problem is particularly severe in situations of displacement, which are often characterized by breakdown of state systems, and a role reversal where the figures meant to protect children turn into predators. Some argue that this may explain some of the proclivity shown in empirical studies towards criminal behavior and illicit substance use in individuals affected by childhood exposure to violence.
Adverse outcomes for affected individuals
A large volume of epidemiological studies have found a strong association between childhood exposure to violence and a host of adverse outcomes, ranging from detrimental physical and mental health conditions to poor educational and employment outcomes, an increased risk of substance use, repeat victimization, and criminal behavior. These outcomes are not restricted to the childhood years and continue to appear throughout adulthood, taking a significant toll on the lives and wellbeing of affected individuals; they are particularly severe when ignored and untreated.
It is also important to understand that exposure to violence and trauma has a dose effect; this means that a greater exposure to violence in severity, frequency, or variety has a greater effect. Children involved in situations of displacement are at a high risk of experiencing multiple forms of violence and trauma, and are therefore more likely to exhibit more severe outcomes, especially when they don’t receive services to recover from trauma.
Educational outcomes are particularly affected, as exposure to violence and trauma impacts the core functions integral to the learning process. This interferes with school engagement, academic performance and skill development, academic progression, and ultimately grade completion and graduation rates. Evidence also demonstrates a long-term reduction of five to ten IQ points in affected individuals. These outcomes accumulate on top of the disruption to education inherent to situations of conflict and displacement. Such deficiencies in educational outcomes later evolve into difficulties with employment, earning, productivity, housing and food security, economic wellbeing, and other aspects of life.
Effects on society as a whole
While having a devastating effect on the life of the individual, these adverse outcomes also have a spillover effect on the safety, welfare and wellbeing of families, communities, the economic ecosystem, and society as a whole. Millions of impacted displaced children are ignored and not given effective services to heal from trauma; without adequate investment in social and emotional support, the resulting outcomes are not only damaging but also costly.
An analytical economic model has conservatively estimated that a single exposure to violence during childhood would result in a lifetime cost of nearly $200,000 USD for every individual affected (for individuals living in the US). This estimate is expected to significantly increase under higher doses of exposure. This is the “cost of doing nothing” on the problem of exposure to trauma and violence amongst children suffering from displacement.
Educational programs, with their direct and unmitigated access to children and youth at critical stages of their development, can facilitate their recovery from trauma and alleviate the adverse outcomes associated with childhood exposure to violence overrepresented in situations of displacement. This requires investment in trauma-informed educational models, a focus on social-emotional learning and support, and concentrated attention to whole-child education. This can substantially improve the wellbeing and life outcomes of individuals and communities, as well as generate significant long-term savings in resources by mitigating the costs associated with untreated trauma and violence exposure in children.
Michal Gilad is the director and co-founder of The Multidisciplinary Center on Childhood, Public Policy, and Sustainable Society. She is also an Expert Fellow and Board Member with the National Prevention Science Coalition. Her primary interest is in the synthesis of law and science for the purpose of adapting policies and laws to the unique developmental needs of children and youth; her recent work addresses the problem of childhood exposure to crime and violence. She holds a doctorate degree (S.J.D) and an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania Department of Criminology, and an LLB from Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Law.
