Children in warzones

War and conflict currently impact approximately 520 million children worldwide, representing one in five children globally. Reporting from BBC correspondent Fergal Keane, who draws on his personal history of childhood trauma and professional experience with PTSD, reveals that children in war zones often develop hypervigilance—a state of extreme alertness to potential threats. Recovery from such trauma requires a stable environment where children can eventually confront their fears through small, manageable steps, such as learning to sleep alone after being consistently terrified. Despite the profound psychological toll of living in conflict, the human spirit remains phenomenally resilient. Research indicates that when given the necessary safety and support to move past their experiences, children possess a surprising capacity to recover and bounce back from extreme adversity.