Advanced Essay #3: Victims of War and Violence

Posted by Bahtyah Ward in English 3 · Block/Harmon · B Band on

This essay sheds light on the hardships and burdens of war from multiple points of view. There is not only violence and war impacting the soldiers but also the families and innocent people at home. I would like the reader to take in the information about the refugees who were once everyday people, just like we are.

​This essay sheds light on the hardships and burdens of war from multiple points of view. There is not only violence and war impacting the soldiers but also the families and innocent people at home. I would like the reader to take  in the information about the refugees who were once everyday people, just like we are. 
For many years, war has caused mass destruction within families, countries, and the economy. When war occurs, the people involved have to endure the horrors of watching their homes and families be destroyed. A common misconception is that the soldiers take on the most hardship, the civilians are often disregarded. 
The expenses from war cause poverty rates to increase, the money supply gets cut off. The civilians then have no homes or safety net to fall on. There are many families in high stress because of the absence of their loved ones. This also increases traumatization in younger children. That increase in traumatization can cause their symptoms to mirrors those of their loved ones. In many cases, soldiers who come home can not reconnect with their loved ones again. The PTSD that soldiers carry with them after the war can go on for the rest of their lives. The impact of violence goes farther than just on the battlefield. Some instances, there is no support from the spouses’, soldiers have even lost their homes returning from deployment. The long term impacts lead to fatal addictions to prescription medications, incurable psychological disorders, and even suicide. As a veteran, those who fought on the frontlines are unwilling to speak horrors of war.
Violence is instilled into the society and therefore we allow war to destroy everything around us. Beyond the physical destruction of homes, the family’s financial stability is impacted after the war.  A present issue in our military is the lack of financial support. The most recent Department of Defense report, from 1999, found that 40 of lower rank soldiers face "substantial financial difficulties. Soldiers require treatment and support recovering from the combat, this level of support can not always come from the immediate family members. Soldiers making ends meet post-deployment has been acknowledged by the military as an issue but there has been no final solution to aiding veterans and their families. The cost of ensuring veterans’ comfort and family after the war can be very extensive. Even the minor factors of war have promoted violence to be prominent in our society, in our human nature to fight and destroy what is surrounding us without thought. Men and women turn to the military in hopes of financial support in the long run, which increases the risk for families at home that can not support the household alone.
On the other side of the battlefield, the families who live within the war zone have been forced to flee from home without looking back. The demands for violence has dehumanized and deprived people of their ability to enjoy life. “War denies civilians agency and voice, disempowering them and transforming them into objects of manipulations,” a quote from Korostelina, an associate professor in S-CAR.  Civilians are overlooked continuously but those very people carry more burden than what is broadcasted worldwide. The intensity of the battlefield causes the displacement and dehumanization of innocent people. Children and infants die from sickness and malnutrition. The record of documented deaths are an understatement compared to the undocumented death of civilians. There is no reinstatement back their homes because of the ruthless murder and desecration. Victims must also endure the deliberate demolition of their economic, social and cultural worlds. Often, the victims of war in their homeland are shown in social media, but not enough attention is being brought to this issue on a more informative platform. Under serious conditions, innocent families have become refugees with no voice or way to help themselves. Violence has become the new oppressor, there is lack if safety or support for the people who truly need it.
War and violence, the common solution to solving our social and worldwide conflict. The continuous impact even after the war is over can destroy and hinder the growth of a nation. Often, we only look at the broad image of soldiers who go through trauma and stress. The  psychological toll it takes to hold a household up with no help, children become overwhelmed with traumatization. This is not only the impact of violence, the innocent have become refugees and displaced from their homes without a voice to say for themselves. 

Cited Work: 

Voa, & Voa. (2009, October 29). Thousands of US Military Families Live in Poverty. Retrieved from https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2003-01-15-5-thousands-67286427/380364.html

 “Researchers Examine the Effects of War on Civilians.” Mason Research, 9 Mar. 2012, masonresearch.gmu.edu/2012/03/researchers-examine-the-effects-of-war-on-civilians/

 Carolina. “The Impact of War and Atrocity on Civilian Populations: Basic Principles for NGO Interventions and a Critique of Psychosocial Trauma Projects.” ODI HPN, odihpn.org/resources/the-impact-of-war-and-atrocity-on-civilian-populations-basic-principles-for-ngo-interventions-and-a-critique-of-psychosocial-trauma-projects/.

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