Effects of War and Organized Violence on Children: A Study of Bosnian Refugees in Sweden

Over the last half-century, the incidence of armed conflict worldwide has increased relentlessly (Gantzel & Schwinghammer, 1995). Most of these conflicts are inside national boundaries and their victims are mainly civilians; inevitably, a substantial proportion of these are children. Though precise figures are impossible to establish, it is an inescapable fact that war and organized violence constitute a major threat to the well-being of a large and steadily increasing number of children in the world.