In its 2018 report on conflict-related sexual violence the UN Secretary-General reiterated the importance of addressing the nexus between conflict-related sexual violence and trafficking in human beings for purposes of sexual exploitation in conflict. In this article we will explore this nexus from a psychological and a legal point of view. During conflict the climate of impunity and the extreme contrast between the mighty and the powerless offers an optimal setting and inevitable ground for sexual violence.

Please see below translated versions of our mental health information.

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What the chapters of this book have in common is that they explore cultural aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however the current chapter is slightly different because of its emphasis on cross-national patterns and the relevance of country-level factors that turn out to be risk and protective factors themselves.

Working with family conflicts can be a challenging task for counsellors. In a collectivist society, such as Afghanistan, where interactions between people of the opposite sex are highly regulated, counselling sessions with an individual involved in a family conflict may not be very effective unless conducted in a culturally sensitive manner. As asking for help from professionals may be considered to be ‘lunatic’, as well as a potential threat to the honour of the family, family counselling is not often easy to carry out and may actually pose risks to the client and to the counsellor.