By Zaheer Jan*
Srinagar: Early childhood is a critical stage in every child’s development, laying the foundation for their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Mental health during these formative years is just as important as physical health, and any disruption can have long-lasting impacts.
I am currently practising as a social worker and mental health rehabilitation professional in Jammu and Kashmir, a region long affected by Pakistan-induced terror. Having worked closely with children here, I have seen how living amidst prolonged unrest and violence deeply impacts their mental health and overall well-being. I have witnessed firsthand how deeply traumatic experiences, especially those involving violence, displacement, and loss, can affect a child’s mental health and development. War robs children of their sense of safety, stability, and the opportunity to grow in a nurturing environment. It steals their innocence and can leave invisible scars that last a lifetime. Because of this lived experience and my work with traumatised children, I can deeply empathise with what the children in Gaza are going through.
For the Global Bihari readers, the context of the troubles in Jammu and Kashmir underscores the urgent need to empathise with and act for the children of Gaza, whose childhoods are being erased amidst rubble and fear.
The impact of violence on childhood
In every corner of the world, childhood is meant to be a time of discovery, laughter, and safety, a period where dreams begin to take shape and imagination knows no limits—every parent dreams of seeing their child grow up in a peaceful and nurturing environment. Early childhood is a critical period for physical, emotional, and cognitive development, a time that lays the foundation for a child’s entire future. Children are the heart and hope of every nation, and every child deserves the right to safety, love, education, and play.
Yet in the war-torn strip of Gaza, these basic rights have been cruelly stripped away. The innocent laughter of children has been replaced by the threatening buzz of drones and the deafening roar of bombs. For thousands of children, the meaning of “childhood”, once filled with curiosity, joy, learning, and imagination, has been brutally erased. Instead, they are growing up surrounded by rubble, trauma, and the constant fear of losing everything and everyone they love.
Loss of family and stability
One of the most devastating consequences of the ongoing conflict in Gaza is the loss of family. Thousands of children have been orphaned, left to navigate an unpredictable world without the care, love, or protection of their parents. For these young souls, the trauma of losing family members is compounded by the chaos and instability of their surroundings, a reality all too familiar to children in J&K who have faced similar losses due to years of Pakistan-inflicted terrorism.
According to reports from UNICEF, since 2023, over 18,000 children have lost their lives, including at least 16,000 whose identities have been officially verified. Thousands of others remain trapped beneath the rubble, their conditions and whereabouts still uncertain. This heartbreaking toll has plunged countless families into deep psychological distress, as parents grapple with the unbearable grief of losing their children or cling to fading hope for those still unaccounted for. Moreover, many children who survived the violence have sustained life-altering injuries, leaving them permanently disabled and facing an uncertain future. The scale of this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe continues to inflict profound emotional and physical suffering, particularly upon the most vulnerable.
The emotional scars left behind by such loss are deep and enduring. Many children are forced to grow up too quickly, assuming roles far beyond their years. With each airstrike, each destroyed home or school, and every innocent life lost, the psychological burden on these children becomes heavier. The cycle of trauma grows with every new wave of violence, and the support systems that should be in place to help them cope are either overwhelmed or nonexistent.
Early childhood education interrupted
The right to education, a cornerstone of every child’s development, has been drastically disrupted. Schools in Gaza have been reduced to rubble, repurposed as shelters for displaced families, or deemed too unsafe to operate. Many children have been forced to stop attending school entirely due to displacement, injuries, or fear of further attacks—a situation mirrored in past in parts of J&K, where violence and terror activists had similarly disrupted education.
For those who can attend school, the experience is often far from normal. Teachers themselves are traumatised, resources are limited, and the lack of trained counsellors means that trauma goes largely unaddressed. Classrooms, once spaces of discovery and inspiration, have become places where fear and grief are silently carried. The long-term implications of this broken educational system are profound, threatening to create a generation robbed of opportunity, knowledge, and empowerment.
A childhood without playgrounds
Play is not a luxury, it is a vital necessity for healthy childhood development. Through play, children develop emotional resilience, social skills, creativity, and cognitive abilities. It is how they process the world around them and learn to express themselves. But in Gaza, even this most basic element of childhood has been stolen, just as conflict in J&K had robbed many children of safe spaces to play in the not-so-distant past.
Playgrounds have been reduced to rubble, open spaces are too dangerous to enter, and the few remaining parks lie abandoned. Schools, which often provide safe spaces for play, are now destroyed or overcrowded. For parents, allowing their children to play outside has become an unbearable gamble that could cost them their child’s life.
The absence of safe spaces has not only robbed children of joy but also stripped away their sense of safety and normalcy. The streets, once filled with games and laughter, are now shrouded in silence, fear, and despair. The playground in Gaza became a graveyard and battlefield, and children, once chasing dreams, now sleep in silence.
Psychological wounds that run deep
Beyond the visible destruction, the psychological toll of war on Gaza’s children is both immense and deeply troubling. The constant exposure to violence, instability, and death leaves emotional scars that may last a lifetime. Mental health professionals working with children in different conflict zones report alarming levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and behavioural regressions even among toddlers.
Children in Gaza experience recurring nightmares, emotional numbness, panic attacks, and extreme withdrawal. Many reenact scenes of violence during play, their minds struggling to make sense of the horrors they have seen. Others shut down completely, unable to speak or connect. Most of the children in Gaza are struggling with aggression, bedwetting, and difficulty concentrating are just some of the many ways trauma manifests in their daily lives.
These are not isolated cases. A significant portion of Gaza’s child population is living with severe and unresolved psychological trauma, with very limited access to care. The region’s mental health infrastructure is under-resourced and overwhelmed. The lack of trained professionals, safe environments, and long-term mental health programs leaves these children vulnerable to lifelong emotional wounds.
Lessons from J&K: Pathways to healing for Gaza’s children
Based on my rehabilitation experience working with children in conflict-affected regions of Jammu and Kashmir, I have observed that psychological counselling, mental health support, and therapeutic interventions play a crucial role in their emotional and psychological recovery. Many of these children, despite facing trauma, loss, and ongoing instability, showed remarkable improvement when provided with structured and compassionate care. One particularly effective approach has been the use of art therapy, which allows children to express their emotions in a non-verbal, creative way, helping them process their experiences and gradually rebuild a sense of safety and trust. Group counselling and activities that promote peer support and community belonging have also contributed significantly to their healing journey.
International organisations working in Gaza should implement similar trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approaches to support children who are currently enduring severe psychological and emotional distress due to the ongoing conflict. Tailored mental health programmes, including individual counselling, play-based therapy, art and music therapy, and family support systems, can help these children regain a SES of normalcy and emotional stability. Collaboration with local educators, healthcare professionals, and community organisations is essential to ensure that these interventions are both accessible and sustainable. Investing in the mental well-being of these children is not only a humanitarian priority but also a foundational step towards long-term peace and resilience.
A plea for the world to see
Despite the pain and destruction, many children in Gaza still dare to dream. They draw pictures of peace, sing songs of hope, and speak of becoming doctors, teachers, engineers, the very builders of a better future. Their resilience is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, but resilience alone is not enough.
Humanitarian organisations on the ground are doing everything they can, but they are overstretched and underfunded. The needs of Gaza’s children go far beyond immediate food, health facilities, and shelter. They require trauma-informed care, psychological counselling, access to education, safe spaces to play and grow, and the assurance that their lives matter, that their dreams are worth fighting for. The children in Gaza deserve a future filled with hope, safety, and opportunity. The world must act decisively to restore their lost childhoods and secure a better tomorrow for them.
Conclusion: Healing, not just surviving
The tragedy in Gaza is etched not only into the ruins of demolished buildings but into the minds and hearts of its youngest generation. These children carry invisible wounds, emotional and psychological burdens no child should ever have to bear. A lost childhood cannot be reclaimed. But its long-term damage can be softened if the world acts with urgency and compassion.
We must recognise that the mental, emotional, and developmental well-being of Gaza’s children is just as critical as their physical survival. Providing them with safe spaces, education, psychological support, and the chance to dream again is not a luxury; it is a necessity. The international organisations and the United Nations must intensify efforts to address the crisis in Gaza and provide psychological support to children and ensure access to education, safety, food, and other basic rights.
They need healing, not just surviving. They need to be seen, heard, and protected. Because every child deserves more than mere existence. Every child deserves a future filled with joy, stability, and the chance to thrive. No child’s life should begin with the words, “if I survive.” The time to stand up for their right to a childhood is now, before it slips away forever.
*The writer is a senior paediatric rehab therapist and social worker (MSW), working for disability and child rights in Srinagar. This article is his perspective, interpretation and analysis. The content has been developed through independent research conducted by the writer, utilising information gathered from a range of organisations. He claims to have made every “reasonable effort” to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented.
Hello sir, you have very well expressed the need of the hour. Children deprived of their childhood are vulnerable to many risks and loss of family members adds to their life long traumas. Unnecessary killing and death hovering over their head tossing in bed over the night is a miserable life. The people involved in causing such inhuman activities should be brought under the harshest punishment and penalties. The case refers to grown ups too who have lost their near and dear ones. What is their fault?