1P-SS1-07

CHILDREN AS VICTIMS OF WAR

Zecevic EC¹

¹ University Clinical Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Background: To create ethnically clean territories, the instigators of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) used three brutal methods to eliminate or relocate members of other groups: killing, transportation to concentration camps and expulsion to third countries. Empty villages and small towns were turned into rubble and the larger towns were under siege, their inhabitants exposed to constant sniper and grenade fire. Many were killed or wounded. The cities under siege were without utilities (water, heat, electricity and telephone) or any means of communication. Food supplies were limited, and availability depended on deliveries done by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Medical treatments were limited because of the lack of resources, and the availability of medicines depended on deliveries by Medecins Sans Frontieres and Pharmaciens Sans Frontieres. Children with severe injuries or multi organ failures could not be treated and required urgent evacuation. This was initiated and coordinated by the International Organization for Migration and by foreign journalists.

Objectives: Comparison of prewar and war-year statistics/situation is addressed. At the end of the war, Bosnia-Herzegovina was divided into two entities. The data provided here are related to one of the entities, the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The number of inhabitants in 1991 was 2,149,796, including 310,756 children 0 to 6 years of age and 363,336 children 7 to 14 years of age, the children accounted for approximately 31% of the population. The children were not spared. The total number of children victimized by war was 51,566 (7.64%), of which 67.31% were wounded and 32.68% were killed or disappeared. Perinatal mortality was 39.60%, increased from 15.80% before the war. The number of children born below the normal birth weight grew from 5.34% before the war to 12.82% during the war. Immunization coverage fell dramatically from 90% to one third of its prewar level. Morbidity remained at the same level prior to the war. At the end of the war, a new category of children with special needs,“children as victims of war,” was created. These included invalids needing rehabilitation, children who suffered psychological trauma and children without parents, among others.

Conclusion: The lives of adults and children during the war depended on the activities of the international community and the intensity of the war. The leading causes of health problems were the war itself and living under siege.