Long after the last act of political violence, its consequences continue to move through communities like an invisible current, reshaping what families endure behind closed doors. A study of nearly 35,500 young people across nine African nations has found that children raised in communities with 15 or more years of political unrest face measurably higher risks of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse — not from soldiers or militias, but from family members, partners, and peers. The wound, it turns out, does not close when the conflict does; it migrates inward, into the intimate spaces where ch
Political Violence's Long Shadow: Study Links Past Conflict to Child Abuse Across Africa
Children and young adults across nine African countries face elevated risks of sexual, emotional, and physical violence due to historical political violence exposure, with poorest households most vulnerable.