Politic Matters and Its Effects on Childhood in Congo Research Paper

Politic Matters and Its Effects on Childhood in Congo - Research Paper Example Childhood is a phase everyone goes through to learn, socialize and integrate into the wider society. However, due to the fact that a child is in a preparatory phase of their lives to be ushered into an era where they will work and become productive to their nations, they need to be given proper care and medical attention to ensure that they remain healthy and have a good early life to give optimal results in their adult life. Maintaining and enhancing childhood and child health has not been easy for nations in the developing world, particularly conflict-plagued nations in Africa. These nations are often plagued with war and conflicts. These conflicts make it difficult for Western-influenced medical and social intervention difficult. This paper examines the childhood, war, and conflict as well as how it affects children in Africa with special emphasis on Congo. Child Health & Childhood Childhood is seen as the early years of a person’s life where the person socializes with memb ers of the society and gains an understanding of the world around him or her in preparation for a productive life after age 18 (NICHD Early Childhood Research Network, 2005). In most studies covered by this research though, childhood seems to stretch from the time of birth to about age 12, where a child needs care and attention. As a child grows, s/he needs to get a proper blend of emotional, mental and physical health (Kehily, 2004) in order to become a stable and healthy adult. Emotional health encompasses the right bonds with adults, care and protection from trauma and other harsh conditions that may make a child disturbed. Mental health has to do with the right structures that will give the child a stable mind. Physical health means protection from diseases and other physical injuries that would prevent the child from normal life. In the modern setting, these things should be available to the child as he goes through contact with his or her parents, school and the local communit y. Clarke et al (2003) stress that a good childhood is one in which a child gets the opportunity to grow up an ideal setting. This includes access to good and healthy food, the opportunity to learn and play, protection from diseases and harsh environmental conditions as well as access to proper health care. Child health is the â€Å"professional and academic field that focuses on the determinants, mechanisms and systems that operate and maintain the health, safety, wellbeing and appropriate development of children and their families in countries and societies in order to enhance the future health of society and subsequent generations† (Alexander et al, 2004) This is an aggregate and collective view of the process and system of child health. It shows that child health is about the entire health profession, research, and academic community and its relation with the creation and maintenance of structures and systems that ensure the wellbeing and proper growth of children and the people closest to them that they will normally fall upon for assistance and support.