Abstract

Any war in the world creates winners and losers. People who have died, been injured, or maimed as a result of war can be seen directly as victims. Many studies have been conducted on those directly affected by war (Mendelsohn & Straker, 1998; Petrig, 2009; Pfanner , 2009). However, women and children, who are often not involved, also are victims of war (Joanna Barbara 2006; McKay, 1998; Machel 1996; Ashford & Huet-Vaughn 1997; Ferris, 1993; Levy & Sidel, 1997). Of these, researchers mostly have focused on victims who have died, been injured, or were disabled due to war since those incidences are clearly visible.
This research, however, is focused on children who were exposed to war. Living in a war zone can expose children to a variety of influences (Barbara 2006; Judith, 2004). They can be affected physically, economically, or psychologically. Children, especially those who experience war through the media, also suffer from war mentality of viewing hostile images (Judith, 2004). However, out of different influences, this study has focused on the children under five who were not undisclosed as victims of Sri Lanka Elam War IV. Here, the focus is on children who were not killed, injured, or disabled during the war, but indirectly affected. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of war on children who were not directly affected by the war but were victims of war due to poor health.

The study examines the impact of war on the physical well-being of children under five by using two key indicators of stunting and wasting. In order to investigate the impacts, the study uses Demographic and Health Survey data of Sri Lanka (2006/07 & 2016) and the difference-in-differences. The study finds that the children under five who were exposed to the war are more likely to be stunted and wasted, compared to the same age cohort who lived in the non-war areas. The under-five birth cohort was further divided into two groups as children born during the battle and children born during the Ceasefire. The results indicate that children born during the battle are more likely to be severely stunted and wasted than those born during the ceasefire period. Results also provide evidence that antenatal care and postnatal care in the war area are also lower than the non-war areas in the war period, relative to the non-war period. In addition, the iron and parasite drugs intakes of children and mothers exposed to war are significantly lower than that of their counterparts during the war period relative to the non-war periods.