Sociologist Studies War's Impact on Children

University of Cincinnati sociologist Steven Carlton-Ford says that in the best case scenario the next 12 months will see somewhere between 37,000-74,000 Iraqi civilians die as a result of the aftermath of war. A much worse scenario has been examined by the United Nations, which estimates as many as 500,000 civilian deaths from the war in Iraq.  

While these figures focus on total civilian casualties, Carlton-Ford is most interested in war’s impact on children. He has spent years analyzing wars that occurred around the world from 1946 to 1995, assessing their impact on the mortality rate for children under 5. His studies have found that the mortality rate of children in that age group commonly jumps as much as 35 percent as a result of war and its after-effects, when a country that has been at peace experiences war on its home soil.

Read the full story on UC's web site.