Bac 2011 Oral Test
Armed conflict has always caused population movements. Children who are forced to flee to neighboring countries as refugees or who become internally displaced within their own countries are in need of special attention during armed conflicts. People are brutally uprooted and forced to flee their homes, exposing them to danger and insecurity. Wherever it occurs, displacement has a profound physical, emotional and developmental impact on children and increases their vulnerability. Of the world's estimated 27 million refugees and 30 million displaced people, 80 percent are women and children.
During flight from areas of conflict, families and children continue to be exposed to multiple physical dangers. They are threatened by sudden attacks, shelling, snipers and landmines. Often, they must walk for days with only limited quantities of water and food. Under such circumstances, children become acutely undernourished and prone to illness, and they are often the first to die. Girls in flight are especially vulnerable to gender- based violence.
Ideally, camps for refuges or the internally displaced should be places of safety, offering protection and assistance. However, old power struggles are often reproduced and traditional systems of social protection come under strain or break down completely. There are often high levels of violence, substance abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and forcible recruitment. One important aspect of relief that particularly affects women and children is the distribution of resources such as food, water and plastic sheeting. Men are usually in charge of distribution and often abuse their power by demanding bribes and sexual favors. This puts women and adolescent heads of household at particular risk.
From: Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, pp. 31-32
Vocabulary:
Shelling: bombardement
A sniper: un tireur embusque
A flight: ici, une fuite.