How to Counter Radical Narratives: Dutch Deradicalization Policy in the Case of Moluccan and Islamic Radicals

This article deals with the role of government in encouraging the decline of radical
movements. The question posed is: “Which story can the government tell to encourage
the decline of radical groups and the disengagement of their members?” The article
makes use of the survey of factors promoting decline and disengagement drawn up by
Demant, Slootman, Buijs (†) and Tillie in 2008, as well as the factor “official policy
strategies” based on concepts taken from discourse analysis, adapted to counterterrorism

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The hunting of the snark: detecting and managing abusers of alcohol and other drugs in refugee camps - a commentary on Ezard et al. and Streel & Schilperoord

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) is evidently a significant, but often neglected, problem in refugee camps. There are some differences compared with AOD problems in developed countries (notably fewer affected women) but also many similarities. Alcohol is the major problem in terms of behaviour and is often manufactured and traded by refugees themselves. Not all AOD users are AOD abusers, but identifying abusers may be worth the effort if it can be shown to reduce, rather than increase, the healthcare workload.

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Perspectives on alcohol and substance abuse in refugee settings: lessons from the field

In refugee settings, alcohol and other psychoactive substances can potentiate many underlying problems and contribute to the erosion of social relations and community structure. Interventions to minimise harmful use of alcohol and other psychoactive substances can lead to positive changes, but must be customised to the specific needs of each setting Rapid assessments with appropriate tools, understanding the situation,partnership with workers and refugees, as well as inclusive approaches are all essential.

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Staff support in Haiti

The earthquake in January 2010 that destroyed Port au Prince, Haiti, has been described as the most devastating humanitarian disaster on record. The author, a mental health professional and a dance movement therapist with more than 12 years working experience in Haiti, encountered numerous anecdotal reports of physical illness and psychological distress amongst rescue and recovery workers, humanitarian aid workers, and others. This field report describes a staff support programme in Haiti that consisted of three phases: 1) psychological first aid;

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Psychological first aid pilot: Haiti emergency response

Psychological first aid (PFA) is an approach for providing basic psychological support to people in acute distress. It is now viewed as one of the primary early psychosocial interventions during, or immediately following, a crisis. World Vision International, War Trauma Foundation and World Health Organisation have developed a PFA guide for low and middle income countries (LAMIC) following acute emergencies.

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How qualitative information helped to shape quantitative research instruments in Rwanda

Rwanda experienced extreme violence and genocide during a three month period starting in April 1994. In the northern regions, there had been ongoing violence since 1990. Many inhabitants still suffer emotionally from the consequences of this era. We performed a quantitative study to measure the effectiveness of sociotherapy; a community based psychosocial intervention carried out in northern Rwanda.

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Screening and brief intervention for high-risk alcohol use in Mae La refugee camp, Thailand: a pilot project on the feasibility of training and implementation

Many populations that are displaced by conflict experience health and social problems connected to alcohol use. Screening for high-risk alcohol use and brief intervention is a core public health strategy for decreasing the harm related to alcohol use. Experience among populations displaced by conflict is, however, limited. The authors conducted a pilot project in a long standing Burmese refugee camp in Thailand, using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as a screening instrument. The intervention was piloted through the existing primary health care system.

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Refugee women survivors of war related sexualised violence: a multicultural framework for service provision in resettlement countries

This paper explores the question of redressing war related sexualised violence, often referred to as war rape, with refugee women in resettlement contexts using a Canadian case example. The first part of the paper uses theory and research to frame sexual-ised violence as a tool of war whose practice and impact are shaped by gender and cultural factors.

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Care for the caretakers: rolling out a protocol or developing tailor-made programmes on the spot?

Some western nongovernmental organisations ( NGOs) have developed protocols aimed at providing care for the caretakers. The authors, three psychosocial workers in an Asian country, show an approach that is more sensitive to the local context than any protocol could ever be. This is done bygiving a detailed description of a two-day ‘stress management workshop’ that was offered to two groups of local staff members from an international NGO (INGO).

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Psychosocial response to the Haiti earthquake: the experiences of International Organization for Migration

This article briefly describes the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) immediate psychosocial response to the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and aims to substantiate some of its underlying principles. The interconnectedness of activities at the national and inter-agency coordination, direct intervention and capacity building levels are illustrated, with particular regard to the specificities of the Haitian culture, and of the pace of the overall humanitarian intervention.

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