I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the suffering of millions, and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty, too, will end.
THESE ARE THE words of a 15-year-old girl. They could have been written yesterday, by a child in Bosnia or Afghanistan. They were written 50 years ago in the Netherlands, by Anne Frank, who died shortly afterwards in a Nazi concentration camp.
Since the end of the Second World War 47 years ago, there have been 149 major wars, which have killed more than 23 million people. This is double the number of war deaths in the 19th century, and seven times greater than in the 18th century. Among the millions killed in those 149 wars, many, many were children.
It is especially sad when children die or are wounded in wars because they are caught in a crossfire that is not of their making. Obviously, children are never consulted when adults decide to fight wars. Nevertheless, millions of children are killed, disabled, orphaned, separated from their families, and physically and psychologically traumatised due to armed conflicts. Life is not easy even for those who survive the fighting, for they often re-live the terror of battle. The deeply disturbing experience can leave children fearful, insecure and bitter for the rest of their lives.