The root causes of exclusion

Armed conflict and poor governance make the risk of exclusion even greater for children.

© UNICEF/HQ04-0663/Kate Brooks

Raqib, 18, a former child soldier, descends the stairs at a school in the Central Region province of Parwan, Afghanistan. He is carrying his oath to respect the social norms of the community and make a positive contribution to its development.

Armed conflict causes children to miss out on their childhood. Children recruited as soldiers are denied education and protection, and cannot access essential healthcare services. Those who are displaced by conflict and become refugees or are separated from their families face similar problems.

Conflict also makes it more likely that children will be exposed to abuse, violence and exploitation. Sexual violence against children, for example, is often used as a weapon of war.

Even children who are able to stay with their families, in their own homes, can be victims of conflict because of the destruction of physical infrastructure, strains on healthcare and education systems, workers and supplies, and increasing dangers caused by landmines, for example. This kind of destruction can result in a breakdown in the government’s ability to provide for the country’s citizens, even after the conflict is over.

But armed conflict is not the only form of state failure. Even states that are not in conflict sometimes have weak institutions and high levels of corruption, political instability and weak rule of law. These states are called “fragile states” and cannot provide basic services, even to children.

Look at the graph below. You can see that fragile states tend to be very poor.