Dear friends and colleagues,
Since Thursday last week, the authorities have shut down the internet, phone lines, and SMS. All communication in and out of the country has been cut off. The regime has declared that any demonstrator will be treated as a terrorist, and the death penalty is being used as a weapon.
State TV is now broadcasting shocking images to spread fear among the population. And still we do not know much about the number of dead and injured, but there are sources that reckon that more than 2 000 people have been killed. What we do know is that body bags are accumulating and families are desperately searching for their loved ones.
This is hitting the Iranian community in exile very hard. Many have lost all contact with their closest family and live in unbearable uncertainty. There is strong concern for political prisoners and family members who risk their lives. Exposure to violent images and fear of reprisals are factors creating deep trauma in people.
The Iranian people in Iran need support – as well as the Iranian people living in exile. They are now asking for help from health professionals and others, acting in solidarity with the people of Iran. They are encouraging the news media to invite experts who can speak about trauma, violence, and secondary traumatization in news broadcasts. This is necessary to provide guidance to those who are living outside of Iran and who are experiencing deep despair and very painful uncertainty. And to the professionals they say: We need guidance from experts with experience working with victims of torture and violence. How should we cope with this extreme stress and fear? They ask for our support during this difficult time. The Iranian community in exile needs to be seen, heard, and cared for.
Woman, Life, Freedom
Sincerely,
Nora Sveaass
Chairwoman of the Board MHHRI and Clinical Psychologist and Professor Emeritus
Resources and Tools
Due to this, we have put together relevant resources and ideas in that may be useful in severe times of stress and unrest. We have collected resources and tools. Please send us your comments and recommendations on other useful resources.
You can send them to the following email post@hhri.org
Manuals and guidelines
We have compiled a series of manuals and guidelines to support people who are concerned about family members and friends in times of crisis.
You may be worried about friends and family in Iran.
MHHRI
You may be worried about friends and family in Iran and don’t know what to do. Pictures and news of the current situation in Iran are disturbing and can be triggering or bring flashbacks. We share your concern for the situation and your worries for t...
Supporting people with missing family members
2023IFRC Psychosocial Centre
This one-pager can assist Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers who work with Restoring Family Links (RFL), or giving support to people in need dealing with having a family member who is missing. Additionally, you can find these resources in di...
When a family member is missing
2023IFRC Psychosocial Centre
This one-pager can assist Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers who work with Restoring Family Links (RFL), or giving support to people in need; navigating having a family member who is missing. Additionally, you can find these resources in dif...
A Guide to Psychological First Aid
2018IFRC Psychological Centre
Psychological First Aid for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has been developed for the staff and volunteers of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other organizations working in situations where psychological first aid (PFA) may be relevant...
Doing What Matters in Times of Stress
2020WHO
Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide is a stress management guide for coping with adversity. The guide aims to equip people with practical skills to help cope with stress. A few minutes each day are enough to practice the self-...
The Children and Families Mental Health and Psychosocia...
2020MHPSS
The ‘Communicating with children about death and helping children cope with grief’ resource provides guidance for adults on communicating with children about death and helping them cope with grief. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, ...
Mental health and gender-based violence Helping survivo...
2014MHHRI
This training manual has been developed for helpers who provide assistance and support to women who survive gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual trauma during disasters, conflicts and emergency situations, where access to health professionals with ...
Child Friendly Activity Cards
2020IFRC Psychosocial Centre
World Vision International and IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support launched a Child Friendly Space (CFS) Toolkit in 2017. This set of activity cards is selected and adapted from the existing CFS Activity Catalogue that promotes children an...
How do you talk to children about war?
2022IFRC Psychosocial Centre
A one-page guide for parents and caregivers. The guide can be used by parents and caregivers with children directly affected by conflict and for children who may have friends in conflict settings, it can be used as a guide to help parents support and...
The well-being guide
2022IFRC Psychosocial Centre
Reduce stress, recharge and build inner resilience. Humanitarians and people working in helping professions need to take care of themselves in order not to burn out and to be effective in their work. The well-being guide: reduce stress, recharge and ...
Save the Children Psychological First Aid Training Manu...
2013Save the Children, Dybdal, Anne-Sophie, Melin, Mie, Terlonge, Pernille
The Psychological First Aid Training Manual for Child Practitioners (PFA) was developed by Save the Children Denmark for the Child Protection Initiative, to facilitate training in psychological first aid with a focus on children. It is aimed at devel...
Protection and Assistance for Children on the Move
2017IFRC Psychosocial Centre
The IFRC is deeply concerned about protection and humanitarian assistance for children on the move. This is heighted by data that shows the number of children on the move, including unaccompanied and separated children, has grown substantially in the...