There is no bigger curse than living in war-like condition 24/7. What impact it imprints on the personality of youngsters living in such conditions? How does this affect their future? Do they have a normal future? What kind of thought process such people have?.
Renowned author Claudia Catani says famously in one of her journals that “Armed conflicts have a devastating impact on the mental health of affected populations”. People who live in such situations or have experienced such conditions spend rest of their lives dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or depression like mental disorders.
Especially children, they are not only prone to mental illness but also get exposed to compromised family and relation affecting their schooling or general lifestyles.
A significant number of regions of India have been under the threats of conflict and political instability. Regions ranging from Jammu & Kashmir to the Far-East regions of India. People have lived under the threat of attacks from local militias and them suffering from the repercussions taken by the government. The local militias and Anti-National organisations working in such regions like Naxals in Jharkhand and Orrisa, United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia in North East and such organisations in J&K are also active. They have affected the lives of the masses in the regions of their presence.
The Rise of Insurgency and Extremism in Kashmir Valley during the 90’s had ever lasting affect on the lives of normal people in the valley. This resulted in a dramatic rise in number of military personnel deployed in the region which affected the day to day life of people. Undergoing so many security checks when you are commuting for your daily work. And the most affected faction of the society was the youth, they faced danger of their lives, them being trafficked by the extremists organisations or them being wrongly persecuted by the govt. They lived in constant fear of being targeted by either of the sides. A lot of educational institutions were burnt during the rise of Extremism, due to which the youth was forced to be deprived from education and their careers were destroyed even before they could start.
In Naxal influenced areas especially rural people are very vulnerable to be looted by the Naxals or punished by them for not complying to their instructions. Villagers are forced to send their kids to join their cause and if they do not agree and respect their instructions they are targeted by the armed Naxals.
The liberation fronts of North-east have also caused such extremely dangerous living condition for the local population. Guerrilla warfare has costed a tremendous amount of lives to the local people. Govt has been unable to develop the infrastructure due to the lack of basic security to the people and the infrastructure. Existing infrastructure has also been constantly destroyed by these Separatist organisations. Youth is deprived of all the basic amenities of the life, be it education, health infrastructure and other opportunities.
Different governments have taken different measures to tackle these conflicts, but there is still a lot to be done on these matters to secure a safe and fair environment for the youth to dwell. Youth is the future of any nation and every young person deserve safe environment to educate themselves and to live with harmony, governments should ensure that every youth in the country gets all the opportunities regardless of their region.