6,000,000
'In the First World War, civilians accounted for 5 per cent of casualties. In the Second World War that figure rose to 48 per cent. Today, up to 90 per cent of casualties are civilians - an increasing number of these are women and children.'
Olara Otunnu, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict

6 million children have been wounded in armed conflicts in the last 10 years.Here wounded children talk about the physical and psychological damage of war and the projects that are helping them heal these wounds.

'I am in great agony' Shamsa (In Somali) Read Shamsha's story (In English) 'l lost one leg' Zmaray Read Zmaray's story (In English)

injuries 12-year-old Shamsa is one of the many children who have been wounded in the civil war in Somalia. Armed clans contiue to fight for control of the country which has been without effective government for the last 8 years. She was caught in the cross fire between the feuding militia and has lost both her arms. Shamsha was hit when her village was bombed and she went out to search for her father who was missing. Zmaray is an Afghan refugee. He was seriously injured when a bomb exploded beside a Russian military base in Afghanistan.

trauma Those children who survive living in war zones have often seen members of their families killed and have believed that they too would die. Mental health workers say these experiences can devastate children. They estimate that over the last decade some 10 million children have been psychologically traumatised by war. Continunig war in Chechnya brings more casualties with each day. More than 200,000 civilians have left the republic, but tens of thousands remain, many of them children. Despite all warnings of danger up to 30 thousands civil inhabitants remains in Chechen capital Grozny. An all-out attack of Russian federal army begun in January, leaving entire city quarters flattened. The majority of children in Chechnya have grown up against a permanent war background. The war of 1994-1996, followed by a shaky peace and another bloody conflict exposed them to the world full of violence. Sapiet Dakhshukaeva, a former resident of Grozny and a BBC producer based in Moscow reports: "Many of those who are six or seven-years old have grown up with shootings, explosions, deaths. This is their childhood. They think it's normal"

'I was in the casualty department...' Journalist Ruslan Maisigov Read Maisigov's words (In English) 'World, please don't be blind!' read the children's letters

'I just went for a walk' Qalam (In Pashtu) Read Qalam's story (In English)

land mines Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. An estimated 10 million land mines have been laid in Afghanistan and most of those killed or injured by land mines are children. When Qalam was 15 he lost his leg after he stepped on a land mine.

'My younger sister had diphtheria' Fawad, (In Persian) Read Fawad's story (In English)

destruction Many modern day conflicts last the length of a childhood. It is not just children who are maimed and destroyed by war but the very resources which are needed to help them develop skills for their adult lives. Schools and hopsitals are destroyed, and often following a protracted civil war many countries lack the resources to rebuild their infrastructure. At the very time when many children need physical and psychological health care and education, these resources are lacking. For example, when Fawad's younger sister was dangerously ill and hospitalised, she needed oxygen but there was none available in the hospital.

healing In the Afghan refugee camps, schools and training schemes have been set up to help the children. Some receive financial support from the UNHCR. Encouraging the children to sing of their sorrows and dreams helps them come to terms with their experiences. In Iran, which is now home to one and a half million refugees, the Afghan poetess, Fariqa Jawad Mahajer has written special poems for the children to sing.

'Fly beautiful pigeon' Sonia and friends in Peshawar (In Persian) Read the children's song (In English) 'Where are you my beloved Spring?' Fariqa Jawad Mahajer's poem (In Persian) Read the poem (In English)

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