How does war affect a child’s brain?

战争如何影响孩子的头脑?

The Global Story

2026-03-17

26 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

For nearly forty years, Fergal Keane has reported for the BBC from some of the world’s most brutal conflicts – in Gaza, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan, Ukraine and beyond – and in that time interviewed scores of children who are the innocent victims of adult wars. As he came to understand the impacts of trauma on young minds, Keane began too to experience his own mental breakdowns – the result of a troubled childhood and a career spent running towards danger – and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD. In today’s episode, he reflects on what he has learned from his own experiences and reporting about how childhood traumas can be treated, and the hope for those living through today’s wars. Producer: Hannah Moore Executive producer: Bridget Harney Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Displaced children play in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Haitham Imad/ EPA/ Shutterstock.
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • Before we start, this episode contains upsetting details of children's experiences in war.

  • So please take care while listening.

  • More than 1,100 children have been killed or injured in the Middle East in the two weeks

  • since the war in Iran started.

  • That's according to UNICEF.

  • Children are often the victims of war, but they're also often the ones that we hear of least.

  • For the last four decades,

  • Fergal Keane has been one of the most familiar voices on the BBC reporting from war zones around the world.

  • And over the years,

  • he's been profoundly affected by the stories he's heard from children in particular.

  • Now this spring, he's saying goodbye to the BBC.

  • So we sat down with him to talk through the issue that has stayed with him throughout his career.

  • From the BBC.

  • I'm Asma Khalid.

  • And I'm Tristan Redman.

  • And today on The Global Story,

  • Fergal Keen on PTSD and how living through war affects children's brains.

  • Fergal, thank you so much for joining us.

  • Could you introduce yourself for us, please?

  • Yeah, I'm Fergal Keen.