Armed Conflict

Armed conflict is a state of open, often prolonged, fighting. Other terms that might be used to describe types of armed conflict are: war, civil war, ethnic strife, genocide, guerrilla warfare, gang warfare, and terrorism.

Many of the conflicts that we hear about in the news are really the reemergence of past conflicts that have only been suspended for a period of time. The causes of armed conflict are very complex and diverse. The causes often reflect the social, cultural, economic, environmental, and political atmosphere of the conflict afflicted area.

How are women and children affected?

In the past decade an estimated two million children have been killed in armed conflict. Three times as many have been seriously injured or permanently disabled, many of them maimed by landmines. Countless others have been forced to witness or even to take part in horrifying acts of violence - Children as young as 5 have been kidnapped and forced to join rogue armies. And both women and children suffer under the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Download the Armed Conflict Snapshot to LEARN MORE