IIoJK: A So-Called Heaven on Earth Where Childhood Has No Space to Breathe

IN INDIAN OCCUPIED JAMMU AND KASHMIR, CHILDREN GROW UP BETWEEN GUNS AND GRIEF, INSIDE A WORLD WHERE SAFETY IS
UNCERTAIN AND SILENCE IS ROUTINE.

Childhood in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir begins in a space where uncertainty feels normal. The presence of 800,000 to 900,000 troops across towns, villages and border areas shapes daily life. Children grow up seeing checkpoints instead of open roads. They learn movement through restriction. Not freedom. Playgrounds exist, but they feel distant. Streets are shared with armored movement. School routes pass through checkpoints.

Children learn early that normal life must adjust to uncertainty. Freedom of movement is not guaranteed. It is negotiated every day. The impact becomes deeper inside homes affected by loss. Since August 2019, 232 children have been orphaned. These children grow up without parental care in a setting already shaped by tension.

In many homes, absence replaces guidance. Silence replaces protection. Childhood becomes emotionally incomplete before it fully begins. Human rights documentation records 936 children killed between 1989 and 2025 and 108,007 children orphaned over the same period. These figures are not distant history for many families.

They shape current life across districts such as Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, Kupwara and Srinagar. Every district carries stories of children growing up with missing parents, missing stability and missing security.

Fear is not limited to home environments. It extends into daily operations. After the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam incident, security operations expanded across South and North Kashmir. Districts like Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama and Kupwara experienced repeated cordon-and-search operations. Homes were searched. Movements were restricted. Children returned from
school into uncertainty.

In border districts such as Rajouri and Kupwara, fear becomes physical behavior. Children avoid open fields. They stay close to homes. The presence of live are zones and unexploded ordnance changes even simple activities like play. Childhood becomes careful instead of free. Sometimes, children directly encounter security detention systems.

In December 2025, three ninth-grade students from Baramulla were taken into custody while returning from school and questioned under allegations of anti-state activity. Families reported limited communication and unclear charges. For these children, school life and security structures overlapped in a way that created lasting fear.

The psychological impact is visible in clinical findings. IMHANS Kashmir, with UNICEF support, reported in May 2025 widespread panic episodes, insomnia, nightmares, irritability and fear among children in Uri. Between 2022 and 2023, IMHANS recorded a sharp rise in mental health cases among children aged 7 to 14. NCRB data from 2022 placed Jammu and Kashmir at the highest level of attempted suicide cases in
India. These figures point toward deep emotional distress among youth.

Health conditions further shape this reality. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation report “Children in India 2025” recorded that 72.7% of children under five in Jammu and Kashmir suffer from anemia. The data includes 73.9% boys and 71.4% girls, with rural prevalence at 73.5%. Weak nutrition affects early growth and long-term development. Family separation adds another layer of vulnerability. In 2025,
documented cases include mothers detained or deported after security actions, leaving children without caregivers. In Baramulla, one case recorded children separated from their mother due to deportation. In Poonch, newborns were separated during cross-border procedures, creating early trauma.

Child trafficking risks and missing children cases continue due to weak monitoring systems like Track Child and Khoya-Paya. Economic pressure also pushes children into informal labor in affected households. In IIoJK, childhood is shaped by interruption. It is shaped by fear that enters early and stays long. It is a childhood that grows, but rarely feels free.

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