ABSTRACT
Over the last twenty years the dominant form of warfare has become intrastate, with much of the fighting occurring in and around communities. The legacy of internal wars fought by informal combatants in militarized and divided societies with weak and corrupt governmental capacity requires a qualitatively and quantitatively different type of reconstruction effort. Normalizing financial arrangements and rebuilding physical infrastructure are still important, but more emphasis needs to be given to people, especially their social and psychological needs. It is also important to take the characteristics of the specific culture into account when dealing with psychological issues. The impact of traumatic events on children is inseparable from the impact on their families and communities. With demobilization, child soldiers lose their guns, the symbol of their power. They are expected to return to being obedient children, respectful of traditional values in a community they may have once terrorized.
