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A Psychosocial Assessment of Palestinian Children
Secretariat for the National Plan of Action for Palestinian Children & USAID (2003)
As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, reports of increased trauma amongst Palestinian children have multiplied. In order to provide a better understanding of the psychosocial well being of Palestinian children, the following assessment was undertaken by Save the Children-US and the Secretariat of the National Plan of Action for Palestinian Children (NPA), a Palestinian NGO, in collaboration with Save the Children-Sweden. Funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development USAID).
(43 pages, .pdf) To top

A world without torture...
By IRCT (2003)
The IRCT brochure "A world without torture ...", describes the work of the IRCT. To top

Advances in Disaster Mental Health and Psychological Support
American Red Cross (2006)
This book is divided into four sections. Section I presents the theoretical bases for mental health and psychosocial support activities following a major disaster. Section II provides the reader with six specific examples of how mental health and psychosocial needs of affected populations have been addressed in Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Iraq, the Philippines, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Section III moves from mental health and psychiatry into a community model of psychosocial support. These sections present a transition from psychiatry to psychosocial support in India and are followed by two case studies; one from Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India, and the
other addressing the tsunami response during the acute to early reconstruction phases of the disaster cycle in the south and western provinces of Sri Lanka. Section IV proposes tools for monitoring and evaluation of community-based psychosocial support needs and interventions.
(191 pages, .pdf) To top

Afghanistan: The Risks of International Psychosocial Risk Management
WHO (2002)
The psychological state of conflict or
disaster-affected populations has become a prominent concern in international humanitarian policy. Reports often highlight refugees and internally displaced persons as ‘traumatised’, ‘psychologically scarred’ or ‘indelibly marked’ by their experiences. In complex emergencies mass post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now expected, so psychosocial programmes are becoming standard features, and psychosocial work a core part of international humanitarian responses. However, there has been surprisingly little analysis of their assumptions or evaluation of their efficacy.
(12 pages, .pdf) To top

Aiding child victims in Sierra Leone
Africa Recovery (1998)
UN Special Representative appeals for international support. To top

Anybody who was in Sierra Leone during this armed conflict has suffered some form of trauma.
Radio Netherlands (2000)
"The civilian population was in a hopeless situation," says Dr. Edward Nahim, who is in charge of Sierra Leone`s mental health services. "Nobody helped the civilians. The rebels had a field day killing, maiming, raping, doing whatever they wanted. The victims suffered and so did the witnesses. We`re seeing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, panic, anxiety, psychotic depression, schizophrenia and physical manifestations of the stress people experienced." To top

Assessing Trauma in Sierra Leone
By MSF (2000)
This report is the product of close co-operation and hard work by a multinational team motivated to bear witness to the anguish suffered by the Sierra Leone population.
(17 pages, .pdf) To top

Assistance to victims of sexual violence in Congo Brazzaville
By Lyne Mikangou, IPS (2001)
A new rehabilitation centre is offering medical and psychological assistance to girls and women who were sexually brutalised during the Republic of the Congo`s savage civil wars. "This is an opportunity for these women to find a place to work out their pain," says Raymond Janssen, a UNICEF representative in the Congo. To top

Asylum Seekers from Algeria
Medical Foundation (1998)
The following report on torture survivors from Algeria who have sought asylum in the United Kingdom was written and presented to the British Parliament by Dr Michael Peel, a consultant occupational physician at the Medical Foundation.
(also in german) To top

Building a Conceptual Framework for Psychosocial Intervention in Complex Emergencies
By Alison B Strang & Alastair Ager, Centre for International Health Studies, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh (2001)
Reporting on the work of the Psychosocial Working Group. (A Joint Academic-Humanitarian Agency Initiative regarding response to the Psychosocial
Needs of Refugees and War-affected Populations)
(6 pages, .pdf) To top

Burundi: Rape - the hidden human rights abuse
Amnesty International (2004)
Like all human rights abuses in Burundi, rape has become an entrenched feature of the crisis because the perpetrators - whether government soldiers, members of armed political groups, or private individuals - have largely not been brought to justice. To top

Burundi: Redress for victims of sexual violence
Amnesty International (2004)
During Burundi`s 10 year armed conflict women have suffered disproportionately and have been targets of violence and degrading treatment as a result of their gender. Sexual violence is a significant and under-reported element of the human rights tragedy in the country. To top

Cambodia: Pol Pot`s Legacy of Violence
Youth Advocate Program Interantional (2000)
This study focuses on the impact of the Khmer Rouge`s genocidal conflict within Cambodia on children and the long-term implications for Cambodian society.
(9 pages, .pdf) To top

Case studies of torture committed by the police in Sri Lanka
Article2 (2002)
There are a huge number of torture cases in Sri Lanka every year. Below are a few that the Asian Human Rights Commission has selected to illustrate the epidemic. The following cases are just a small fraction of the total number, however, they are useful as they all suggest a pattern, as follows. To top

Child Development And Post-traumatic Stress Disorder After Hurricane Exposure
By Alan M. Delamater, PhD, and E. Brooks Applegate, PhD (2000)
This study examined child development in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after hurricane exposure. The study subjects were 175 3 to 5-year old minority children enrolled in Head Start programs. Children were evaluated 12 and 18 months after Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida. Mothers were interviewed concerning symptoms of PTSD and completed a questionnaire regarding their children’s development. Results indicated that 16.5% of exposed children met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PTSD at 12 months, and 11.6% had PTSD at 18 months post-hurricane. Children who had PTSD at 12 months were more likely to be delayed in their development at 18 months, and those with PTSD at 18 months similarly were more likely to be delayed. These findings indicate that children with PTSD are at risk for delays in their overall development. To top

Child Soldiers: Youth who Participate in Armed Conflict
Youth Advocate Program International (1999)
Child Soldiers provides an overview of the conditions and treatment of the estimated 250,000 children who fight in wars around the world. This booklet describes the impact soldiering has on children and steps being taken to end this abuse.
(17 pages, .pdf) To top

Child soldiers: understanding the context
British Medical Journal (2002)
We need to ask why children join armies. If we are to prevent children fighting we need to understand the conditions under which children become soldiers and work to improve these conditions. One such context, that of Sri Lanka, may shed some light on the issues.
(4 pages, .pdf) To top

Children Affected by Armed Conflict in South Asia: A review of trends and isues identified through secondary research
Refugee Studies Centre (2002)
This document is based on research conducted in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka between January and April 2001.
(75 pages, .pdf) To top

Children affected by armed conflict: UNICEF actions
UNICEF (2002)
More than a decade ago, in September 1990, the Convention on th Rights of the Child (CRC) entered into force. Today the Convention, the most universally ratified human rights instrument, is the standard against which we measure the success or failure of our efforts to serve the best interests of children.
(148 pages, .pdf) To top

Children in Armed Conflict: Focus on Child Soldiers in the Philippines
Child Protection in the Philippines (2003)
Being exposed to armed conflict situations, children are exposed not only to grave and seriously physical danger but also to psychological trauma resulting from capture, torture and rape, and detention.
(16 pages, .doc) To top

Children of Rwanda`s Genocide
New York Times (1999)
Humanitarian organizations working in the region now report that Rwanda`s children have been the most vulnerable to the poverty and exploitation which followed the ethnic conflict. The massacres have left several hundred thousand children either orphaned or separated from their parents. A Unicef report estimates that 700,000 children - 18 percent of Rwanda`s 4.2 million children - still live in difficult circumstances. To top

Children of war: the real casualties of the Afghan conflict
British Medical Journal (2002)
This article explores the origin of the current Afghan crisis and describes the impact of a quarter of a century of incessant conflict on Afghan children. To top

Conflict and health: War and mental health: a brief overview
British Medical Journal (2000)
Psychological trauma is not like physical trauma: people do not passively register the impact of external forces but engage with them in an active and social way.
(4 pages, .pdf) To top

Coping With Crisis - No. 1 March 2006
The Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2006) To top

Coping With Crisis - No. 1 March 2007
Federation Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2007) To top

Coping With Crisis - No. 2 August 2006
Federation Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2006) To top

Coping With Crisis - No. 2 June 2005
The Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2005)
The newsletter primarily aims at informing national societies and other interested parties on RC/RC psychosocial support related activities, be it particular projects, assessments or evaluations. It is also a tool to inform each other about key events that need to be highlighted and/or announced.
(12 pages, .pdf) To top

Coping With Crisis - No. 3 December 2006
Federation Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2006) To top

Coping with Crisis - No. 3 October 2005
The Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (2005)
The newsletter primarily aims at informing national societies and other interested parties on RC/RC psychosocial support related activities, be it particular projects, assessments or evaluations. It is also a tool to inform each other about key events that need to be highlighted and/or announced.
(12 pages, .pdf) To top

Dealing with the tremendous problem of torture in India
Article 2 (2003)
Consultation on the Convention against Torture, Kerala, India. To top

Disruption and Reconstitution of Family, Network and Community Systems Following Torture, Organised Violence, and Exile
By Richard Douglas Blackwell, Medical Foundation (1993)
The process of arrest, torture, release, flight, and exile involves trauma at many levels. Insofar as humans are social beings, this trauma can be understood, not only as an assault on the individual person, but also an assault on the links and connections between people and patterns of relationships through which people define themselves and give meaning to their lives. To top

Early Psychosocial Interventions for War-Affected Populations
By Kaz de Jong and Rolf Kleber (2003)
The decision to intervene in the early stage of an emergency is largely based on operational observations and compassion of field workers. The usefulness of intervening in early stages of a crisis has been documented in a number of settings.
(17 pages, .doc) To top

Effects of war: moral knowledge, revenge, reconciliation, and medicalised concepts of "recovery"
By Derek Summerfield (2002)
Western health professionals and the public have a misguided image of war and its aftermath that is often far removed from the actual experience of non-westernised societies. A British psychiatrist looks at the effects of war and at the belief that the emotional reactions of victims of war should be modified. To top

Ethnocultural Aspects of Refugees and Survivors of Torture
Ricardo Restrepo, MD Chief Resident, Boston University, Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry (2002) To top

Expanding the Definition of Torture
Human Rights Dialogue (2003)
Historically, the popular understanding of torture has helped to maintain a gender-biased image of the torture victim: it is the male who pervades the political and public sphere and thus it is the male who is likely to be targeted by state violence and repression. To top

Fear of rape: The experience of women in Northeast India
Article2 (2002)
Of all forms of violence, rape is considered the most cruel and inhuman form of torture. The fear of rape is common to all women, however, among Northeast Indian women this fear is heightened by the situation in which they live. To top

Female genital mutilation (FGM)
WHO
Information about female genital mutilation by WHO. To top

Health needs of asylum seekers and refugees
British Medical Journal (2001)
People who are seeking asylum are not a homogeneous population. Coming from different countries and cultures, they have had, in their own and other countries, a wide range of experiences that may affect their health and nutritional state. In the United Kingdom they face the effects of poverty, dependence, and lack of cohesive social support. All these factors undermine both physical and mental health. To top

Health, Mental Illness and Human Rights in Bosnia and Hercegovina.
By Esmina Avdibegovic, Psychiatric Hospital Tuzla (1998)
The attention of this article is put on the relationship between human rights and mental health i.e. mental illness, as well as on the violation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its consequences for mental health. To top

Helping Children Cope With War
By Naomi Drew, M.A. (2003)
War has entered the consciousness of America and is now on the minds of people young and old. How do we talk to our children about war in ways that make sense? How do we empower our children and give them hope? To top

Impunity and Reparation
By Helen Bamber, Medical Foundation (1994)
In this brief paper Helen Bamber is referring to that form of impunity which consists in the non-punishment of human rights violations; not merely those which on account of their particularly odious nature are termed crimes against humanity, but also other violations of human rights that are internationally recognised in Covenants and Declarations and are accepted and recognised by the international community of states as a whole. To top

Intervention - International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict
INTERVENTION is a peer-reviewed journal for mental health professionals, counsellors, psycho-social workers and community workers working with victims of armed conflict. Intervention publishes articles relevant for professionals working in areas of armed conflict, but also for those working with refugees from areas of armed conflict in Europe, Australia, North-America etc. Some articles published in Intervention report the practical experience of fieldworkers, and provide detailed accounts of a project, so that the experience can become an example for fieldworkers in other regions. Other articles demonstrate how theory can be used in practice and how practical experience challenges theoretical views, thus building a bridge between theory and practice in the field. To top

Learning to live after Beslan
By International Federation of Red Cross (2004)
The International Federation and Russian Red Cross appeal includes psychological support as the main element of the programme for the victims in Beslan.
“After a crisis, so many questions remain out of focus. The state looks and acts globally often omitting individual approaches,” says Federation psychological consultant Vacheslav Otchuk, who recently visited Beslan. To top

Lessons We Should Have Learnt - Mental Health and Human Rights.
By Keith Williams, Executive Director of the Queensland Association for Mental Health (2002)
In 1993, Federal Human Rights Commissioner, Brian Burdekin, painted a bleak picture of the lives of Australians suffering from mental illness. His landmark report "Human Rights and Mental Illness" has been a catalyst for significant reforms in mental health services over the past four years. To top

Mental Health Care in the Developing World
Psychiatric Times (2002)
Some 450 million people worldwide currently suffer from some form of mental disease or brain condition, but almost half the countries in the world have no explicit mental health policy and nearly a third have no program for coping with the rising tide of brain-related disabilities. To top

Mental Health Initiatives as Peace Initiatives in Sri Lankan School Children Affected by Armed Conflict
Mc Master University (1999)
The recent generation of children and adolescents in Sri Lanka has been exposed to extensive social and military violence unprecedented in its modern history. In Sri Lanka, the armed conflicts since 1983 represent the single most debilitating and pervasive factor affecting the lives of children and women. To top

Mental Health Issues of Resettled Refugees
By Richard Ater, RN, University of Washington (1998)
Nowhere are the health care needs of refugees more pronounced than in the realm of mental health. Refugees are vulnerable to psychological distress due to uprooting and adjustment difficulties in the resettlement country, such as language, occupational problems, and cultural conflict. To top

Mental Health Programs in War-Stricken Areas
By Kaz de Jong, Rolf J. Kleber and Vesna Puratic (2003)
This article describes the theoretical framework, objectives, implementation and intervention activities of the mental health program of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Bosnia-Hercegovina, 1994-1998.
(31 pages, .doc) To top

Mental Health of Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons and Other Populations Affected by Conflict
WHO (1999)
Mental Health in general and Mental Health of Refugees in particular are priorities of the work of the World Health Organization. Intensified efforts are being made by WHO in order to respond to the mental health needs of one of the most vulnerable groups of today`s world.
(3 pages, .doc) To top

Mental and social health during and after acute emergencies: emerging consensus?
WHO (2005)
This article from the Bulletin of the World Health Organization acknowledges that there is no agreement on the public health value of the post-traumatic stress disorder concept, or the appropriateness of vertical (separate) trauma-focused services during and after acute emergencies. It also highlights the separation of psychosocial care (focusing on non-medical intervention) from the mental health care field. It suggests that this has actually drawn practitioners skilled in non-biological interventions away from formal mental health services.
(71 pages, .pdf) To top

Mozambique: The Battle Continues for Former Child Soldiers
Youth Advoctae Program International (2001)
This study focuses on the use of child soldiers during Mozambique`s long civil war and the efforts made to reintegrate former child soldiers since the conclusion of the war.
(11 pages, .pdf) To top

Non-governmental Organisations and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: An impact assessment.
By Hugo van der Merwe, Polly Dewhirst & Brandon Hamber, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (1999)
This report examines the relationship between Peace/Conflict Resolution Organisations and the Truth and Reconsiliation Commission. To top

Old Stereotypes, New Realities - Refugees and Mental Health
By Richard Mollica and Laura McDonald (2001)
International research and relief organizations estimate that there are between 10 million and 11 million refugees, and 20 million and 25 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide. Scientific studies underscore the impact that horrific events - characteristic of the "refugee experience" - have on the mental health of an individual and society. To top

PTSD in Survivors of Rwanda`s 1994 War
Psychiatric Times (1998)
Rwanda`s 1994 civil war officially ended in July of that year, but as massacres and episodes of genocide continue to erupt sporadically within and around Rwanda`s borders, the many faces of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continue to surface in dramatic ways. To top

Palestinian children show signs of trauma
By Marianne Albina - Communications (2002)
Children and adults living in Palestine are showing signs of trauma due to the stress of living with the daily threat of violence and conflict. To top

Post-traumatic stress in former Ugandan child soldiers
By Ilse Derluyn, Eric Broekaert, Gilberte Schuyten, Els De Temmerman (2004)
Worldwide, 300 000 children are currently used as child soldiers in armed conflicts. We interviewed 301 former child soldiers who had been abducted by the northern Ugandan rebellion movement Lord’s Resistance Army. All the children were abducted at a young age (mean 12·9 years) and for a long time (mean 744 days). Almost all the children experienced several traumatic events (mean six events); 233 (77%) saw someone being killed, and 118 (39%) had to kill someone themselves. 71 children also filled in the impact of event scale—revised to assess their post-trauma stress reactions. 69 (97%) reported post-traumatic stress reactions of clinical importance.
(3 pages, .pdf) To top

Preparing Mental Health Reform in Slovenia
International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (2003)
The article describes major mental health problems in Slovenia and describes the steps done to change present inadequacy of mental health system organization. To top

Preventing torture, in principle and in Sri Lanka
Article2 (2002)
Sri Lanka has legislation directed against torture and police brutality, including specific anti-torture legislation and other laws such as the law of evidence, designed to try to discourage torture. Nonetheless, there is no question that widespread torture is perpetrated in Sri Lanka. To top

Promoting Psychosocial Well-Being Among Children Affected by Armed Conflict and Displacement: Principles and Approaches
Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (¨1996)
Save the Children began in the aftermath of the First World War and the Russian revolution to help refugee and displaced children across Europe. Since then, wars, especially civil wars, have increased: More than 50 of them were raging in 1995. A central feature of these conflicts is that 80-90 percent of the victims are civilians, most of them women and children. To top

Psychological Consequences of Torture: State Terror Trauma Versus Terrorists` Trauma
By Prof. Rona M. Fields, Ph.D. (1996)
In a research on trauma and its consequences, two distinct subject groups were compared--victims of depth interrogation torture in Northern Ireland and survivors of hostage captivity. To top

Psychology of the Refugee, the Immigrant and their Children
Binnie Kristal-Andersson, Dep. of Psychology, University of Lund, Sweden (2000)
In recent years, awareness has grown of the necessity of understanding the inner world of refugees (in particular traumatized refugees), immigrants, and their children. These groups have come in increasing numbers to Scandinavia, and otherwise confident and capable professionals in all arenas of mental health, social work and other fields have often felt inadequate when working with them.
(384 pages, .pdf) To top

Psychosocial Impact of Internal Displacement - Preliminary Results of Balay Case Studies
By Kaloy A. Anasarias, Balay Rehabilitation Centre (2000)
In the Philippines, where the prevailing idea of a disaster are those brought about by typhoons, earthquakes and floods, the phenomenon of internal displacement, as a consequence of armed conflict, has already reached a proportion that could no longer be ignored. More than 1 million people have already been affected by armed clashes . To top

Psychosocial Interventions for Children of War: The Value of a Model of Resiliency
By Roberta J. Apfel, M.D., M.P.H.; Bennett Simon, M.D. (1996)
The authors focus first on psychosocial interventions that enhance the resiliency of children. Utilizing the focus on interventions that enhance resiliency, the authors address the question of how basic relief and development programs and interventions (providing food, clothing, shelter, basic medical needs, and education) already provide important psycho-social interventions, and how specifically designated psychosocial interventions can be integrated with and enhance these ongoing programs. To top

Psychosocial Trauma and Rehabilitation Work in East Timor
By Abilio Belo (2001)
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)carried out a national psychosocial needs assessment in East Timor in June and July 2000. The aim was to assess the extent of "torture and trauma and the health impact" it had on the population. The study results provided the basis for the proposed National Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program. To top

Psychosocial Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Torture
By Dr. Carlos Madariaga Araya, CNTRAS (2002)
Over the past few years, within the teams that provide medical-psychological care to people suffering from the psychic sequels of torture in our country, there has been a permanent discussion surrounding certain categories that arise from psychiatric nosography that have been put forward as descriptive or interpretative models of the whole set of effects produced by this act of violence on psychic functions.
(21 pages, .pdf) To top

Psychosocial rehabilitation in Brazil: the impact on everyday life
International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (2003)
This article describes the centralization of the therapeutic work on the aspects of everyday life of the users’ mental health service, emphasizing psychosocial rehabilitation, while a social practice geared towards the rebuilding of identities and possibilities for mentally ill people. To top

Psychotherapy Treatment of Torture Survivors
The International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (2004)
This article presents a project about applying a model of brief therapy to the rehabilitation of survivors of torture and organised political violence. The model includes both narrative and body oriented therapeutic approaches to the treatment of trauma. The narrative approach focuses on the construction of meaning in the traumatic events and in so doing makes it possible for the client to view his life story from different angles. To top

RAHAT Medical Journal
Volume 02, Issue 04 - November 2004
(61 pages, .pdf) To top

RAHAT Medical Journal
Volume 02, Issue 03 - August 2004
(73 pages, .pdf) To top

RAHAT Medical Journal
Volume 02, Issue 02 - May 2004
(69 pages, .pdf) To top

RAHAT Medical Journal
Volume 02, Issue 01 - February 2004
(98 pages, .pdf) To top

RAHAT Medical Journal
Volume 01, Issue 05 - October 2003
(51 pages, .pdf) To top

Rape as a Crime of War - A Medical Perspective
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) (1994)
Health care professionals can support individual and community healing from rape and other war-related trauma. We examine herein some of the medical sequelae and human rights issues that surround the crime of rape in war and the role that health care professionals can play in treating individual survivors as well as in collecting and analyzing evidence of these violations. To top

Reactions to War Trauma and Terrorism
Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)
When traumatic events occur that threaten our safety, we may have feelings that become more intense and unpredictable. They may include responses that are re-awakened or amplified. To top

Reconstruction and reconciliation work in Chechnya
By Chris Hunter, Committee for Conflict Transformation Support (1997)
About 1.2 million landmines have reportedly been laid in Chechnya and 500 people await operations for prosthetic limbs. Humanitarian activity and work to strengthen civil society is being carried out on a small-scale by international organisations in Chechnya due to the deteriorated security situation. To top

Resilience in a Time of War
The American Psychological Association (2005)
No one knows how long a war will last or how it will affect our lives. We may feel uncertain about the future and anxious about events that are out of our control. You may react differently to a war today because of the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Terrorism creates fear and uncertainty about the future. Because terrorist acts are random and unpredictable, war today poses a new kind of threat, one with which Americans have had little experience. You may feel more afraid, insecure, and vulnerable as a result of concerns that the United States could be attacked again. To top

Rethinking Mental Health Work with Survivors of Wartime Violence and Refugees
By Patrick Bracken, Joan E. Giller & Derek Summerfield (1997)
Recent years have seen a great increase in the number of programmes established to provide psychological help for refugees and victims of wartime violence in both Western and non-Western countries. Such programmes have, in the main, shared the conceptual and theoretical framework developed in Western psychology and psychiatry around issues of trauma and stress.
(11 pages, .rtf) To top

Saving a war`s traumatized children
Africa Recovery (2000)
Sierra Leone camps try to rehabilitate child victims and soldiers. To top

Severity of Trauma Among Refugee Psychiatric Patients
Psychiatric Times (2000)
The severity of trauma experienced by refugees can vary widely. At one end of the spectrum, a person with official refugee status in the United States may experience minimal trauma if that person was already in this country as an immigrant or student and wanted to remain. To top

Sexual violence as a weapon of war
UNICEF (1996)
Violence against women, especially rape, has added its own brand of shame to recent wars. From conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Peru to Rwanda, girls and women have been singled out for rape, imprisonment, torture and execution. To top

Social healing in war-affected and displaced children
By Dr Jo Boyden, Senior Research Officer, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford (2001)
The protection of children confronting adversity has become one of the central priorities of childhood interventions internationally, especially since 1979, the International Year of the Child. Advocacy for child war victims, working children and those variously exploited or handicapped has successfully attracted the attention and commitment of legislators, policy-makers, rights activists and practitioners throughout the world. To top

Social healing in war-affected and displaced children
Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford (2003)
The protection of children confronting adversity has become one of the central priorities of childhood interventions internationally, especially since 1979, the International Year of the Child. Advocacy for child war victims, working children and those variously exploited or handicapped has successfully attracted the attention and commitment of legislators, policy-makers, rights activists and practitioners throughout the world. And with the near universal ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, there now exists a global framework for the protection and care of children living in extreme situations. To top

Some perspectives on torture victims, reparation and mental recovery
Article2 (2002)
This article surveys issues related to the pursuit of reparation by victims of torture or their family members. What is the legal right to reparation, and how successfully has it been implemented in different countries? To top

Southeast Asian Refugees: Gender Difference in Levels and Predictors of Psychological Distress
Psychiatric Times (1998)
Southeast Asian refugee women have been identified as an at-risk group for developing serious psychiatric disorders primarily due to their premigration experiences. To top

Survivors of Politically Motivated Torture: A Large, Growing, and Invisible Population of Crime Victims
Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis (2000)
Adapting to a new environment is a complicated and overwhelming experience for all new immigrants and refugees who have fled unsafe conditions in their native countries. For refugees who are also survivors of politically motivated torture, this transition is even more difficult because of the physical and psychological consequences of the torture they endured.
(18 pages, .pdf) To top

Survivors of torture and trauma
Burma Watch International (2001)
The treatment of torture survivors comprises psychological, somatic and social rehabilitation. By helping torture survivors and by showing respect and dignity towards them, we are helping the suppressed and those who have worked for free conditions in our country. To top

TORTURE Journal
(IRCT)
The publication is intended to provide a multidisciplinary forum for the exchange of original research and systematic reviews among professionals concerned with the biomedical, psychological and social interface of torture. To top

Tales From the Dark: Testemonies About the Communist Repression
Assistance Centre for Torture Survivors (ACET) (2003)
This book contains authentic experiences of people who survived the communist terror.
(152 pages, .pdf) To top

The Continuing Ordeal: Long Term Needs of Survivors of Torture
Canadian Center for Victims of Torture (1995)
Victims of torture are faced with the immediate task of coping with the physical and psychological pain and suffering associated with what was done to them during the torture process. To top

The IRC’s emergency education programme for Chechen children and adolescents
By Theresa Stichick Betancourt, Rebecca Winthrop, Wendy Smith and Gillian Dunn (2002)
Over the past decade humanitarian actors have focused attention and resources on developing education as a specific intervention aimed at mitigating some of the physical and psychosocial distress affecting children during war.
(3 pages, .pdf) To top

The Physical and Psychological Sequelae of Torture
Burma Watch International (2000)
The most dramatic psychological consequence of torture is the post-traumatic stress disorder. The common symptoms included insomnia and night mares, memory loss, and poor concentration. To top

The Politics of Torture: Dispelling the Myths and Understanding the Survivors
By Joan Simalchik, Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (1996)
Understanding the modem use of torture entails the dispelling of myths about its nature and purpose. There remains a perception that torture is practiced randomly, that it is punishment carried to an extreme, that it is performed by psychopaths or sadists, that it exists outside of governmental responsibility and is practiced by "less civilized" societies. To top

The Power Of Storytelling and Reading in Healing Children Orphaned or Traumatized by War in Northern Uganda
By Beatrice Lamwaka, Makerere University (2004)
This paper is going to deal with storytelling and reading needs and interests of former child soldiers and victims traumatized by the war in northern Uganda.
(10 pages, .pdf) To top

The Psychological Costs of War: Risk, Resilience and Rehabilitation in Iraqi Children
By Patrick Haughian (2003)
The psychological suffering of children during war is an often overlooked, yet crucial, outcome of armed conflict. The children of Iraq have lived through conflict, political violence, displacement and starvation. The most recent conflict has occurred closely enough to the previous large-scale war that many adolescents and children in the country have experienced both. This is a dire time for the children of Iraq who have survived. This paper examines some of the issues surrounding the psychological costs of war.
(32 pages, .pdf) To top

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa: relation to psychiatric status and forgiveness among survivors of human rights abuses
By Debra Kaminer (2001)
It has recently been the task of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to expose and document human rights abuses perpetrated under the system of apartheid. As part of the TRC process, many survivors provided testimony in either a private statement or at a public hearing. To top

The cultural dimension of war traumas in central Mozambique: The case of Gorongosa
Psychiatry on-line(1998)
This paper is a preliminary discussion of a more enlarged and longitudinal research project on the prevalence of post-war related symptoms, prevention and intervention strategies in some rural areas of Gorongosa, a District belonging to Sofala Province in central Mozambique. To top

The impact of conflict on children - the role of small arms.
By Julia Freedson, Watchlist (2002)
This paper examines the impact of armed conflict on children, with a focus on the role of small arms.
(8 pages, .pdf) To top

The prevention of torture in Burma
Burma Watch International (2001)
Torture is an instrument of oppression. Reports of widespread torture were more commonly received from regions controlled by the military regime but undergoing political unrest, armed conflicts, and other internal strife. To top

The psychological treatment of refugees and asylum seekers: what does the literature tell us?
Mots Pluriels (2002)
Over the past five years, Australia has accepted approximately 50 000 individuals through its Humanitarian program. To integrate these individuals specialised medical and psychological services have been established in major centres of Australia. To top

The road from soldier back to child
Africa Recovery (2001)
Demobilization and rehabilitation are only the first steps. To top

The tortured, not the torturers, are ashamed
By David Shapiro, Social Research (2003)
As for the perpetrators of torture, the rapists, the enforcers of apartheid, the Nazi medical experimenters, and the rest, there is little evidence of shame. To top

The trauma of war
UNICEF (1996)
Every conflict forces children to live through some terrible experiences. Indeed, millions of children have been present at events far beyond the worst nightmares of most adults. To top

Therapeutic Governance: the Politics of Psychosocial Intervention
By Vanessa Pupavac, School of Politics, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham (2001)
This paper critically analyses the significance of psychosocial intervention as a new form of international therapeutic governance based on social risk management.
(17 pages, .doc) To top

Therapeutising Refugees, Pathologising Populations: International Psycho-Social Programmes in Kosovo. New Issues in Refugee Research
By Vanessa Pupavac, University of Nottingham (2002)
The first half of the paper discusses material that questions the international projection of refugees as traumatised. The second half of the paper explores psycho-social intervention as a new mode of external therapeutic governance.5 The paper suggests that the influence of a Western therapeutic ethos on international policy does not necessarily represent a humanist turn. Psycho-social intervention does not just simply entail cultural imperialism, that is, the imposition of a Western therapeutic model on other societies, which have their own coping strategies.
(19 pages, pdf) To top

Therapy with Refugee Children
By Nooria Mehraby (2000)
Refugee children living in Australia have usually survived a multitude of traumatic experiences in their country of origin. Exposed to war, persecution, extreme deprivation and sometimes torture, they are prone to post traumatic stress disorder and physical ailments. To top

Together Against Torture
CINAT (2001)
Brochure about CINAT - six international NGOs working which are committed to ending and preventing torture, to bringing torturers to account, providing rehabilitation and obtaining justice and reparation for survivors of torture.
(32 pages, .pdf) To top

Torture Mental Health: Questions, Exhortations, Works
By Stevan Weine M.D. - University of Illinois at Chicago (1999)
The problem of torture is horrifyingly global, but the accumulated knowledge in this field of mental health treatment of torture survivors is remarkably small. To top

Torture and War Trauma Survivors in Primary Care Practice
Survivors International (1996)
Close to one million refugees from around the world have entered the United States, fleeing repression, war, terrorism, and disease. It has been estimated that among these are thousands who have experienced torture. Many refugees and immigrants will appear in the offices of health care professionals with symptoms that may be related either directly or indirectly to torture. To top

Trauma and Reconstruction in Kobe, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Cambodia
By Richard Mollica, Director of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, Harvard School of Public Health (1997)
The end of the twentieth century has seen an increase in societies devastated by mass violence. The world has also witnessed natural disasters of extraordinary proportions, such as the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake. Problems of violence and natural disaster and resulting trauma affect millions of people worldwide and will be central issues in the next century.
(3 pages, .pdf) To top

Treatment of Survivors of Political Torture: Administrative and Clinical Issues
By Gerald Gray, LCSW, MPH (1998)
Treatment of survivors of political torture is a new field, the symptoms of survivors are many and difficult, clinicians in general are not experienced in treatment, and there is little money available. Both administrative and clinical decisions often must take into account political realities not found in other treatment environments. To top

Trip through Ingushetia
War Child (2000)
In the year 2000 two War Child projectcoordinators travelled to Ingushetia to visit the new War Child projects there. With the fall of Grozny at the beginning of 2000, thousands of Chechnyans were forced to flee to the neighbouring country of Ingushetia. To top

War and mental health: a brief overview
British Medical Journal (2002)
About 40 violent conflicts are currently active and nearly 1% of the people in the world are refugees or displaced persons. Over 80% of all refugees are in developing countries, although 4 million have claimed asylum in western Europe in the past decade.
(4 pages, .pdf) To top

What Is Psychological Trauma?
Sidran Foundation (1999)
We all use the word "trauma" in every day language to mean a highly stressful event. But the key to understanding traumatic events is that it refers to extreme stress that overwhelms a person`s ability to cope. To top

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Sidran Foundation (2000)
There is a growing awareness among healthcare providers that traumatic experiences are widespread and that it is common for people who have been traumatized to develop medical and psychological symptoms associated with the experience. To top

What is a Psychosocial Intervention? Mapping the Field in Sri Lanka
By Ananda Galappatti (2004)
The past decade has seen a steady growth in the number of initiatives in Sri Lanka that are described as being ‘psychosocial’ interventions related to its long-standing ethnic conflict or other political violence.
This seems to be the result of heightened global and local awareness of the psychological toll exacted by
modern conflicts.
(12 pages, .pdf) To top

When Forced Migrants Return ‘Home’: The Psychosocial Difficulties Returnees Encounter in the Reintegration Process
Refugee Studies Centre (2003)
The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to some of the psychosocial difficulties returnees encounter.
(58 pages, .pdf) To top

When a Terrorist Act Occurs
Ceridian Corporation (2001)
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, in Washington, D.C., and across the country are affecting people worldwide. An act of terrorism makes all of us fear for our safety and the safety of our children. It can shake our feelings of security and leave us feeling vulnerable. Here are some ways to find support and to help your child and the people you love in the hours and days ahead. To top

Violence against women in metropolitan South Africa: A study on impact and service delivery
Bollen, S., Artz, L., Vetten, L. & Louw, A. (1999)
The past several years have been marked by increasing activity in the area of violence against women in South Africa. Through the efforts of the women’s movement, service providers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the academic community, violence against women has been brought to the forefront of public and political attention. To top

Visits to detained torture victims by the ICRC: The psychological impact of visits and interviews with detained torture victims
ICRC (2000)
Torture is an experience without parallel; it is capable of causing a wide range of physical and psychological suffering. At the psychological level, torture places the victim in a position of helplessness end distress powerful enough to produce mental and emotional damage regardless of his pre-torture psychological status. The psychological effects of torture, however, occur in the context of personal meaning, personality development, and social, political, and cultural factors. To top

Voice Against Torture - Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 11 - October 2004
(54 pages, .pdf) To top

Voice Against Torture - Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 11 - July 2004
(44 pages, .pdf) To top

Voice Against Torture - Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 11 - April 2004
(51 pages, .pdf) To top

Work in Eastern Croatia, Northern Bosnia and Vojvodina: Results and Perspectives for a Community-Based Model of Complex Rehabilitation
By Charles David Tauber (2001)
The Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace has worked in roughly 25 locations in eastern Croatia, northern Bosnia and Vojvodina during the past five years.
The initial aim was to train professionals and non-professionals at village level in techniques of psychotrauma and non-violent conflict resolution, but this changed considerably in the course of the work.
(15 pages, .pdf) To top