“The GBV training manual is a response to the urgent need for psychological care”

Elin Doeland
2019

In the work of making resources on mental health more easily available to professionals and others working with people exposed to human rights violations in disaster, war and conflict, Health and Human Rights Info (HHRI) has received contributions and support from a large group of people. Since its beginning in the early 2000s, psychologists and psychiatrists and other professionals working in different contexts around the world have been involved in ensuring that the material in the database may be of use in the field and has a good ethical and professional standard.

Torture: Journal on Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and Prevention of Torture

International Rehabilitation Council For Torture Victims
2019

Torture Journal examines the impact of forensic documentation of torture in diverse settings around the world and identifies innovative rehabilitation approaches. Fresh research and perspectives on sport-based rehabilitation, as well as other key topics, also comprise the issue.

New attack on human rights defenders in Colombia

Colombia Forum
2019

The most serious security threats are mainly experienced in areas that are most affected by the internal conflict. This is clear from the latest UN Human Rights Council report about the situation in Colombia. The report finds that lacking implementation of the peace agreement is one of the main reasons for the continued occurrence of death threats against social leaders in the country.

Torture of migrants: ‘Many are not aware of how bad it really is’

InfoMigrants, Charlotte Hauswedell
2019

Human trafficking between Africa and Europe has not only thrived in recent years, it has grown into a highly abusive system involving corrupt elites and political networks. Jan Philipp-Scholz, the author of a new book on the migration business, has spoken with migrants in Africa on nearly every step of their journey. Their testimonies reveal the extent of abuse and human rights violations happening on Europe’s doorstep.

https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/16638/torture-of-migrants-many-are-not-aware-of-how-bad-it-really-is?fbclid=IwAR3Ey0afYn8vr0hRJ1imWMySisXhBniGL0dbqOtC35yjImb4gwi-EASkx84&ref=fb

Transitional Justice – time for a re-think

Paul Seils, Open Global Rights, 2019

What would justice look like in the conflicts in Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Iraq, Yemen, and Somalia? What would we expect it to achieve? For more than two decades, the field of transitional justice has sought to answer such questions. Transitional justice is generally understood as a package of measures including criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations for victims and reform of abusive institutions.

Cambodia’s Hidden Scars: Trauma Psychology in the Wake of the Khmer Rouge

Van Schaack B, Reicherter D, Chhang Y
2011

This text explores the profound impact of war and genocide on human psychology with a  focus on Cambodia and the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). Interdisciplinary in nature, this edited volume presents the current research on the impact of trauma not only on survivors’ mental health processes but also on the ability of survivors to participate in legal processes, such as the trials of surviving members of the Khmer Rouge before the ECCC.

Trauma Stabilisation as a Sole Treatment Intervention for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Southeast Asia

Eichfeld et al
2019

Southeast Asia contains high numbers of traumatised populations arising from either natural disasters or interpersonal violence. Consequently, empirically based trauma treatments, addressing traumatic sequelae in local populations was needed. Trauma Aid Germany, trained 37 therapists in psycho-traumatology, based on EMDR Therapy, which included trauma stabilisation techniques. This research analysed the impact of Trauma Stabilisation as a sole treatment intervention for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in adults and revealed that it was highly effective in alleviating PTSD diagnoses. Results demonstrate PTSD symptoms were reduced in both clinical and sub-clinical trauma groups. The data set suggests trauma stabilisation, as a sole treatment intervention, was safe, effective, efficient and sufficient treatment intervention for PTSD.

Barriers to Justice: Implementing Reparations for Sexual Violence in the DRC

Physicians for Human Rrights (PHR), Capstone, Colombia SIPA 2013

The final report evaluates reparations awarded by courts in the DRC to survivors of sexual violence, and the extent to which these reparations are being implemented. First, the report introduces the mobile court system and other judicial institutions that address sexual violence, specifically in Eastern DRC. Second, the report examines barriers to the implementation of reparations awarded by these courts. Third, the report offers recommendations to the international community to help ensure the payment of reparations to victims in the DRC and strengthen their access to justice.

Messages on Child Protection in the Pakistan Floods

UNICEF
2010

Where there is population displacement, there are risks of separation of family members. Even during this emergency, all children have a right to a family and families have a right to care for their children. Services should be provided to families to encourage them to stay together, rather than seek alternative care options for children whilst families struggle to meet their needs. Unaccompanied and separated children should be provided with services aimed at reuniting them with their parents or customary caregivers as quickly as possible.

Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse – Guidelines for health and psychosocial service providers in humanitarian settings

International Rescue Committee and UNICEF
2012

The guideline is based on global research on child sexual abuse and evidence from field practice. The CCS Resource Package brings a much needed comprehensive and practical approach to helping child survivors and their families
recover and heal from the impacts of sexual abuse.

Transitional Justice Handbook for Latin America,

Brazilian Ministry of Justice Amnesty Commission ICTJ ed. Reátegui
2011

This book’s goal is to dialogue with the large and growing community of professionals, government officials, activists, and academics who are engaged in our region to promote the work of confronting the authoritarian or violent past of our countries. Latin America has become, in fact, one of the most dynamic areas in the search for routes to transitional justice in recent decades.

The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development

Patel et al.
2018

The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development is a comprehensive synthesis of knowledge on global mental health, designed to catalyse worldwide action. It builds on the 2007 and 2011 The Lancet series on global mental health that helped make mental health care a greater priority worldwide. The ultimate goal of the Commission is to guide action to reduce the global burden of mental health problems. The Commission should give fresh impetus to the prioritisation of mental health, helping ensure physical and mental health are valued equally by the global health and development communities. The Commission has three unique guiding principles: – our approach to mental health covers the full spectrum of mental health from day-to-day wellness to long-term, disabling conditions. – mental health is the product of psychosocial, environmental, biological and genetic factors interacting with neurodevelopmental processes. – mental health should be respected as a fundamental right.

Manual for stabilisation and skills training after traumatic events

Støren, Odland and Christie
2018

This manual has been developed to help stabilise symptoms in people who have experienced traumatic events. Their need is first of all to obtain skills to deal with their symptoms. They need to recognise that the painful events are no longer happening, to acquire a sense of safety in the present and to gain more perceived control over thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. The manual can be used as a first-stage intervention prior to processing traumatic events.

Conclusion on Women and Girls at Risk

UN

Recalling that the protection of women and girls is primarily the responsibility of States, whose full and effective cooperation, action and political resolve are required to enable UNHCR to fulfil its mandated functions; and that all action on behalf of women and girls must be guided by obligations under relevant international law, including, as applicable, international refugee law, international human rights law and international humanitarian law (for historical reference).

Shedding light on a dark practice

IRCT 2009

This book is primarily intended for health and legal professionals who work with or are likely to come into contact with torture survivors, but anyone with an interest in the question of torture will find useful insights. These short articles provide an array of illuminating and readable perspectives on different aspects of a complicated subject. Together they comprise an excellent introduction to the many challenges and opportunities associated with the task of establishing medical evidence in cases of alleged torture.

Investigating Rape at the International Criminal Court: The Impact of Trauma

Ellie Smith 2012

The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been characterised by the widespread and systematic perpetration of rape and other forms of sexual violence. Rape has been committed by all actors in the conflict, including those operating in the Ituri region of the country, and the use of rape by Lubanga’s Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC) in particular has been widely reported and documented by the UN and NGOs alike.

Violence, Vulnerability and Migration: Trapped at the Gates of Europe

MSF
2013

The exact proportions of sexual violence are impossible to measure, yet MSF’s medical data reveals that it is a problem of alarming proportions. Information provided by our patients reveals the high risk of sexual violence throughout the migration process, with survivors experiencing rape and other forms of sexual violence by numerous different perpetrators in their countries of origin, in route and in Morocco itself.

Hidden violence is silent rape: sexual and gender-based violence in refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands

Ines Keygnaert
2012

Although women, young people and refugees are vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) worldwide, little evidence exists concerning SGBV against refugees in Europe. Using community-based participatory research, 223 in-depth interviews were conducted with refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. Responses were analysed using framework analysis.

What the eye does not see: a critical interpretive synthesis of European Union policies addressing sexual violence in vulnerable migrants

Ines Keygnaert & Aurore Guieu
2015

In Europe, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are more vulnerable to sexual victimisation than European citizens. They face more challenges when seeking care. This literature review examines how legal and policy frameworks at national, European and international levels condition the prevention of and response to sexual violence affecting these vulnerable migrant communities living in the European Union.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT: Protection Risks for Women and Girls in the European Refugee and Migrant Crisis

UNCHR
2015

For the first time since World War II, Europe is experiencing a massive movement of refugees and migrants, women, girls, men and boys of all ages, fleeing armed conflicts, mass killings, persecution and pervasive sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Many seek refuge in Europe from the ongoing armed conflicts that have torn apart their societies, and are entitled to protection under the (1951) Refugee Convention, its subsequent Protocol, and other international instruments.