Stephen Hanmer

Panelists include: Michael Wessells , Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health, Senior Child Protection Specialist for Christian Children's Fund and author of Child Soldiers: Stolen Childhood; David Rosen , Professor of Anthropology, Becton College of Arts and Sciences and author of Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism; Ilene Cohn, Chief of Policy, Information and Resource Mobilization with the UN Mine Action Service; Stephen Hanmer, Child Protection Technical Advisor, The International Rescue Committee.

"The day-to-day lives of these children, what was normal to them, was violently destroyed in an instant," says Stephen Hanmer, an IRC specialist on children in conflict who is responding to the crisis in Lebanon."Suddenly they're in an alien world, and are understandably sad, scared, confused and angry."

Hanmer is working to bring back some needed routine in their lives.As part of the IRC's emergency relief effort, he's forging links with local groups to establish structured activities in spaces where kids can play and feel safe again, and at the same time, provide needed support to their caregivers.

"The IRC's experience in aiding children in conflict around the world is that it's vital to create places for children to be children; where they can regain a sense of normalcy, control and comfort," Hanmer adds.