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Impact of a New War on Iraqi Children Would Be Worse than 1991, Study Finds
(February 21, 2003) Iraqi children are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of a new war than they were before the Gulf War of 1991, according to a new study.
Our Common Responsibility: The Impact of a New War on Iraqi Children, a report by an international study team composed of nine experts carried out in January, concludes that despite some improvements in the health and nutritional status of children from their post-1991 Gulf War state, Iraqi children are still in a significantly worse state than they were before the 1991 Gulf War. And because most of the 13 million Iraqi children are dependent on food distributed by the Government of Iraq, the disruption of this system by war would have a devastating impact on children who already have a high rate of malnutrition. The state of the physical well-being of Iraqi children thus makes them much more vulnerable to war today than they were in 1991.
Children in Iraq have suffered substantially increased levels of malnutrition since the Gulf War. A new war would disrupt food supplies and health services, and make them much more vulnerable.
A second key finding is that Iraqi children suffer significant psychological harm from the threat of war that is hanging over their head. This finding was based on field data collected by two child psychologists who are experts on the psychological impact of war on children.
The team also reviewed the available data on emergency preparedness and concluded that the international community has at present little capacity to respond to the harm that children will suffer by a new war in Iraq.The study was carried out by the International Study Team, an independent group of expert academics, researchers and practitioners examining the humanitarian effects of military conflict on the civilian population.
The team conducted interviews, collected data, and reviewed existing data pertaining to the state of children in Baghdad, Basra, and Kerbela in Iraq.In 1991, the International Study Team produced a comprehensive report on the humanitarian effects of the Gulf War, based on more than 9,000 independently conducted household interviews in 300 locations across all parts of Iraq.
The full report is available at this site, at Oxfam America, or War Child Canada.