Our shared humanity and our collective duty to protect children

As paediatricians, parents, caregivers, and individuals of different faith and ethnic backgrounds, the Canadian Paediatric Society is united with all who have experienced pain and grief over recent events.

The violent attack on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli civilians—including children and youth—together with rising antisemitism around the globe, has been frightening and devastating for Canada’s Jewish community. They are not okay.

Sustained violence in the Gaza Strip, where thousands of Palestinian civilians—many of them children and youth—have been killed, coupled with rising Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, has caused fear and pain for many in these communities. They are not okay.

Around the world, children bear the brunt of armed conflict in myriad ways: physical injury and death, family separation, displacement, school disruption, malnutrition, trauma, and toxic stress. We must always prioritize their health, safety and security.

Children are inherently worthy, regardless of where they are born or where they live. Still, in many parts of the world they are caught up in escalating conflicts that are not part of public discourse or news cycle: in Sudan, Congo, Nagorno-Karbakh, Afghanistan, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Children in Canada are also vulnerable to the trauma of war. They may be afraid, outraged or saddened by the omnipresent images and sounds of conflict on the news and on the phones of the adults around them. They may see traces of themselves in the faces of injured and crying children in war zones. They may be personally subjected to hate or racism.

They look to the adults in their lives to make sense of the chaos, to somehow make it better, to reassure them that they are safe.

As child and youth health care providers, we have a responsibility to affirm that children must not be collateral damage. The loss of any child’s life is a tragedy that diminishes us all.

We must advocate for solutions that allow children around the world to grow and develop in safety.

We must advocate that every effort be taken to protect children and youth during armed conflict, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Though the increasing polarization of our socio-political spheres is eroding the capacity for respectful and essential conversations, we urge everyone to focus on our shared humanity, our duty to protect children, and the need to support one another: our communities, our colleagues, our students, and our patients and their families. Please check in with each other and offer support.

Canadian Paediatric Society Board of Directors