From Haunted Places to Safe Spaces: Childhood in Armed Conflict
- Gabriele Carmelo Rosato
- Jun 3
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 9
I am honoured to be among the speakers at the upcoming Conference Week on Children in Armed Conflict, organised by UNETCHAC (Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict) and Niccolò Cusano University in Rome. The event brings together academics, practitioners, and advocates to address one of the most urgent humanitarian and ethical challenges of our time: the protection of children affected by war.
UNETCHAC, launched in 2020, is the first international academic network dedicated to strengthening the role of universities in the protection of children directly and indirectly involved in armed conflict. In a world increasingly scarred by violence and displacement, the need to rethink how we protect the most vulnerable—children—has never been more critical.
My contribution:
🗓 June 9, 2025
📍 Niccolò Cusano University, Rome
🎙 Title: From Haunted Places to Safe Spaces: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Support Children in Armed Conflict
Understanding Trauma Through Space
Trauma does not only live in the mind—it settles in the spaces we inhabit. For children living through war, a school, a home, or even a familiar street can become a haunted place: a site of fear, silence, and emotional rupture. These are not simply damaged environments—they are emotionally charged, culturally fractured spaces that impact how a child feels, learns, relates, and hopes.
From Spaces of Survival to Spaces of Recovery
Drawing on my research at the intersection of anthropology and trauma-informed practice, my seminar will explore how we can transform environments—physical, social, and symbolic—into places that support healing, not retraumatisation.
Some of the key reflections include:
How trauma shapes children’s perceptions of space
How “haunted” places can be reimagined as safe and meaningful
How children’s participation is essential in reconfiguring the environments they inhabit
By weaving together field research, real-world examples, and principles of trauma-informed care, I aim to propose an approach that centres dignity, cultural safety, and co-created resilience. True recovery, after all, is not just about removing the source of harm—but about actively cultivating spaces where children can trust, belong, and begin again.
Why It Matters
This seminar is part of a broader, urgent conversation: how can we support children not only to survive war, but to heal and thrive in its aftermath? My contribution is a small piece of that dialogue—a call to bring attention not only to the violations, but also to the possibility of repair.
Slides are available here 👇🏽
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