Traumatized refugees : identifying needs and facing challenges for mental health care

In the past few years the number of refugees worldwide has increased dramatically. Many of them were traumatized in their homelands due to violent conflict or persecution, as well as during their flight, and are confronted with ongoing stressors in the exile countries. In order to contribute to enhancing the clinical knowledge, this special issue of the European Journal of Psychotraumatology focuses on traumatized refugees.

Special Issue : Linking mental health and psychosocial support and peacebuilding

Contents

From the Editor, Editorial Board and Editorial Staff: towards a new era for Intervention
Authors: 
Tankink, Marian

Introduction to Special Issue: linking mental health and psychosocial support to peacebuilding in an integrated way
Authors: 
Bubenzer, Friederike; Tankink, Marian

ARTICLES

Building sustainable peace through an integrated approach to peacebuilding and mental health and psychosocial support: a literature review
Authors: 
Tankink, Marian; Bubenzer, Friederike

Harrowing journeys : Children and youth on the move across the Mediterranean Sea, at risk of trafficking and exploitation

Young migrants and refugees set out to escape harm or secure better futures – and face staggering risks in the process. For 17-yearold Mohammad, who travelled through Libya to seek asylum in Italy, violence and persecution back home meant the choice was clear: “We risked our lives to come here,” he says, “we crossed a sea. We knew it is not safe, so we sacrificed. We do it, or we die.”

'I want to go home, but i am afraid' : The impact of war on Mosul's children

In early July 2017, the coalition1 military offensive to oust so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from Mosul reached its grisly climax. Civilians have borne the brunt of this conflict, with half a million school-aged children amongst the displaced. 2 Amid the horror of the ISIS occupation of Iraq’s cities and villages, it is comforting to believe that once the group has been defeated militarily, normality will return and traumas inflicted will quickly recede. Yet in the medium to long-term, the suffering of Mosul’s children looks set to continue.

An attitude of helplessness : basic counselling in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered armed conflict for over 20 years, with the eastern provinces being particularly impacted by destruction and structural violence. The consequences of this ongoing violence are visible on the streets and in the homes of the people, as well as specifically affecting the minds of the country's youth. This personal reflection highlights the work of a psychologist at a vocational training centre in Bukavu.

Bridging the gap in mental health and psychosocial services in low resource settings : a case study in Sudan

Sudan has endured the longest civil war in Africa, with ongoing conflict since 1983. As a result, it has one of the largest internally displaced populations on the continent. The gap in care for mental health in Sudan is large, therefore, most of the people affected do not have access to the treatment they need (World Helath Organization, 2009). Mental health facilities in current day Sudan are few and concentrated in urban centres, where they are difficult to access and lack adequately trained professionals who are, in particular, lacking training for trauma related disorders.

Integrating mental health care into primary care : the case of one rural district in Rwanda

Integration of mental health care into primary care is a strategic priority of Rwanda's national mental health care programme and a central tenet of global mental health. In 2009, the international health care delivery organisation, Partners In Health, established a community based mental health programme to support national planning goals.

Invisble wounds : the impact of six years of war on the mental health of Syria’s children

For the past six years, children in Syria have been bombed and starved. They have seen their friends and families die before their eyes or buried under the rubble of their homes. They have watched their schools and hospitals destroyed, been denied food, medicine and vital aid, and been torn apart from their families and friends as they flee the fighting. Every year that the war goes on plumbs new,  previously unimaginable depths of violence against children, and violations of international law by all sides.

Ghosts in the big city : surviving and adapting to internal displacement in Colombia, South America

The signing of the truce on 23 June 2016 and the finalisation of peace negotiations on 24 August 2016 marked the end of more than 50 years of continuous armed conflict in Colombia, South America and the transition to ‘post conflict’ status. According to annual reports from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, Colombia has ranked first or second in numbers of internally displaced persons every year for the past 12 years, making forced migration a defining characteristic of the country.

In spite of the clarity of mental health and psychosocial core principles : the existence of a participation implementation gap

According to humanitarian minimal standards, humanitarian programmes should maximise participation of affected populations within their response. Participation has been a key point in proposals, evaluators are aware of it and every aid worker has heard of it. In theory, it is a perfectly implemented, well understood and a well respected construct. In the field of mental health and psychosocial support, participation is core principle number two.

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