Soon after 9 am on the 26^th of December 2004, the district of Batticaloa on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka was struck by tidal waves produced by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. The tsunami directly affected over 250,000 people in the Batticaloa district, resulting in the displacement of over 70,000 people, the confirmed deaths of 2,846 people, 1,027 people missing and a further 2,375 injured¹.

Often regional conflicts are treated as if they are placed in a vacuum, independent of their environment. This paper attempts to put regional conflict regions into the perspective of a globalising world. It is suggested that feelings of humiliation play a central role in this process. Human rights ideals extend dignity to all humankind and prohibit humiliatingpeople as lesser beings. Human rights ideals thus define high goals and consequently create intense feelings of humiliation when violated.

Twelve Kosovo-Albanian interpreters at the Danish Red Cross (DRC) asylum reception centre participated in an interview about their background and work. The majority had fled from the Serbian persecution in Kosovo, which involved living in a permanently hypervigilant stat, with intense fear of rape, ethnic suppression and civil war. All of the interpreters reported a heavy workload and a high level of distress. The most distressing part was interpreting at interviews for psychologists, where stories of torture, annihilation, persecution, and loss were told.

The authors describe a programme for victims of war structured around day care treatment that takes into account the need f patients for structure and at the same time makes it possible for them to re-experience the trauma. This programme consists ofa combination f a storytelling group and art therapy.

Keywords: psycho trauma, storytelling, narrative group psychotherapy, art therapy, testimony, victims of war

Introduction

This article describes a study on the impact ofwar on Eritrean children living in an internally displaced persons camp in the Gash Barka region.. It is based on a psychosocial needs assessment conducted within the framework of a psychosocial project by the Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) ‘War Child,’. Key research questions used included; the nature of the traumatic experiences of the children, the prevalence of psychosocial problems, and the need for therapeutic intervention.

This paper describes an instrument for the monitoring and evaluation fprograms designed to improve the psychosocial well being of children: the Community Participatory Evaluation Tool (CPET). The community plays an important role when the evaluation tool is properly utilised. The rationale for use of the tool is explained, and its application in practice is illustrated with a case study.

Keywords: evaluation, community coping mechanisms, developmental tasks, monitoring

This article describes a therapeutic framing course suitable for traumatised adolescent refugees, aimed at coping with nightmares. The training connects directly with the complaints and symptoms of these refugees. As a result they feel less helpless. Sometimes this training becomes a point of departure for therapy during which traumatic experiences are discussed.

Keywords: adolescents, unaccompanied minors, PTSD

The problems of adolescent refugees in a western country