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 and their families’ psychosocial well-being during COVID-19. The activity cards are designed especially for children who are in lockdown or have limited access to school and recreational programming. All of the activities can be done individually or with a small group of 2 to 3 people at home or in any suitable place. Other languages Spanish Burmese Farsi French Malay Polish Portuguese Russian Ukrainian Norwegian Somali Tigrinya
Helping children and parents cope leaflet gives 14 sets of practical tips that parents and caregivers can use to support themselves and their children during crisis. The leaflet covers tips on self-care for the parent or caregiver, different ways of supporting children to cope with stress, anger and loss, as well as advice and practical tips for ensuring their safety and protection. Other languages
Spanish Slovenian Slovakian Romanian Polish Myanmar Italian Armenian Hungarian Hebrew French Greek German Czech Bulgarian Belarusian Russian Ukrainian
The present in this double issue 2025(2–3) a special section devoted to Israel and Occupied Palestine, one of the most comprehensive collections of academic and field-based analyses published to date on torture, genocide, and the psychosocial mechanisms that sustain them in the context of prolonged occupation.
Media professionals face daily threats and aggressions ranging from assassinations, kidnappings, torture, arbitrary arrests and judicial persecution to disinformation campaigns, misinformation and harass-ment, especially on social networks. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the magnitude and number of attacks against journalists, as well as incidents affecting their ability to exercise freedom of expression.
This Observatory provides updated information on the killing of journalists since 1993 and on the judicial status of condemned cases since 2006. It also provides public access to country responses to UNESCO’s requests for information into the judicial status of ongoing and unresolved cases. You may browse the full list of killed journalists and search for visual statistics and data.
Journalist Nick Turse (Fellow, Type Media Center) examines how, since the 2000s, national governments and terrorist groups – from Israel, Syria’s Assad regime and the United States to the Islamic State – have found ways to curtail conflict coverage through myriad means, from repressive policies to armed attack. All have killed journalists and helped to foster a culture of impunity, turning conflict zones like Syria and Gaza into “news graveyards.”
In what amounts to a key election year, where roughly half the world will go to the polls, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that political pressure is increasingly threatening journalism and the public’s right to know. In its 2024 World Press Freedom report RSF finds that the political indicator, one of five metrics used in compiling the index, has fallen the most, an average drop of 7.6 points across the globe. Overall, RSF’s World Press Freedom Index rated conditions for practicing journalism as satisfactory in only one quarter of 180 countries ranked around the world.
The Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP serves to further strengthen UNESCO’s work at a global, regional, and national levels, by channeling funds towards emerging priorities and the most pressing needs to achieve its mandate on freedom of expression, media development, and media and information literacy.
The Global Media Defence Fund supports local, regional and global not-for-profit organizations working to bolster journalists’ legal protection and/or enhance media freedom through relevant investigative journalism and strategic litigation. Organizations can apply for funding by submitting proposals to the Fund’s annual Calls for Partnerships. The Fund is administered by UNESCO and helps advancing its work to #ProtectJournalists and #DefendMediaFreedom.
Ahead of the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia, GIJN is publishing a series of short interviews with a globally-representative sample of conference speakers. These are among the more than 300 leading journalists and editors who will be sharing practical investigative tools and insights at the event.
Online violence is often only considered a digital safety issue, but the impact of online abuse on journalists’ mental health is significant and has serious consequences for them, their work, and for press freedom. This is particularly true for women and diverse journalists who are disproportionately targeted by online attacks.
Journalists these days face stress from several directions all at the same time — they’re covering an increasingly violent world, they are the target of threats and harassment both online and in person, and they deal with mistrust from the public — stoked by politicians who call their work “fake news.” The Covid-19 pandemic beginning in 2020 brought illness, death, grief and uncertainty, all of which were a challenge to cover. The difficulty is compounded for marginalized groups.
Journalists can be severely traumatized like anyone else. Their work can be so demanding that journalists might have to put up a front of invulnerability even while they are breaking apart inside.
Fuelled by the demand for emotionally-driven human interest stories, while facing increasing competition with social media to attract the attention of readers, journalists can regularly find themselves on deadline and working closely with ordinary people who are going through extraordinarily bad or difficult times. These can range from disease through to experiences of crime, car accidents, violence, displacement and disasters.
Those whose vocation and profession take them into dangerous parts of the world will never be entirely out of harm’s way, and safety is to a large extent a matter for journalists themselves, both collectively and individually. In the collective sense, the establishment of procedures for editorial staff, the exchange of information among colleagues and the provision of facilities by organisations such as Reporters Without Borders are essential.
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) today debuted a straightforward and practical mental health guide (‘A Mental Health Guide for Journalists Facing Online Violence’) to offer journalists support as they face an unprecedented surge of violence online. This resource – used in conjunction with the IWMF’s ‘A Guide to Protecting Newsrooms and Journalists Against Online Violence’ – continues the IWMF’s work to address the epidemic of online violence against journalists and calls for a culture of change throughout the industry.
Covering these stories, whether major international stories or events much closer to home, can have an impact on those who do the reporting, leading to issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some cases, but more likely anxiety, stress and burnout.
هذا الكتيب مُوجّه للآباء ومُقدّمي الرعاية الراغبين في دعم الأطفال الذين يعيشون في الحرب. يشرح ردود الفعل الشائعة تجاه الصدمات، ويُبيّن أنها استجابات طبيعية للأحداث القاسية.
يقدم الدليل ممارسات بسيطة يومية لاستعادة الأمان، والاستجابة مشاعر الأطفال، وإعادة بناء الأمل.
يمكن أن تساعد هذه الخطوات في تعزيز قدرة الأطفال على الصمود ودعم تعافيهم.
إن الاهتمام بصحتك الشخصية أمر مهم أيضًا، حيث يعتمد عليك الأطفال باعتبارك المصدر الرئيسي للأمان والراحة. (in English)
This booklet is for parents and caregivers who want to support children living through war. It explains common reactions to trauma and shows that these are normal responses to extreme events. The guide offers simple, everyday practices to restore safety, respond to children’s feelings, and rebuild hope. These steps can help strengthen children’s resilience and support their recovery. Caring for your own wellbeing is also important, as children rely on you as their main source of safety and comfort. (In Arabic)
Вікно толерантності (WoT) — це корисна метафора , яка допомагає зрозуміти наші реакції на стрес і травму. Коли ми переживаємо стрес або травму, вправи на заземлення можуть допомогти нам повернутися у межі цього вікна, де ми здатні залишатися в моменті, мислити ясно та реагувати на виклики.
The window of tolerance (WoT) is a helpful metaphor for understanding our reactions to stress and trauma. When we are stressed or traumatised, grounding exercises can help us regulate us back within this window. There, we will be able to stay present, think clearly, and respond to challenges.
Intimate partner femicide is often the end result of long-term abuse and coercive control. While previous research has explored these dynamics, less is known about how perpetrators avoid intervention before the killing.
This study analyzes the life histories of 97 men imprisoned for femicide across nine Latin American countries. It identifies seven common strategies used to avoid detection: social isolation, gaslighting, restricting employment, framing others as threats, male peer support, controlling the woman’s body and space, and disrupting access to healthcare. These tactics helped perpetrators remain unnoticed by others, revealing missed chances for intervention. The findings underscore the role of male complicity and point to the need for earlier recognition of coercive patterns to prevent lethal outcomes.
These guidelines support civil society organisations in documenting international crimes and human rights violations in ways that may allow the information to be used as evidence in court. They outline key do’s and don’ts to help strengthen and avoid undermining accountability efforts. Developed in response to requests from civil society actors, the guidelines will be dynamic and updated based on their experiences and ongoing consultation. Available in English, Ukrainian, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
Seksualisert vold benyttes som våpen i krig i mange land. Det rammer kvinner, menn og barn. En del flyktninger som kommer til Norge har overlevd slik vold. Det mye fagfolk og frivillige i Norge kan gjøre for å hjelpe overlevere.
Ressurssentrene om vold, traumatisk stress og selvmordsforebygging (RVTS) har laget en rekke undervisningsfilmer om seksualisert vold i krig og konflikt og arbeid med overlevere basert på Gender based violence håndbøkene til MHHRI.
Filmene kan sees enkeltvis, i tematiske bolker eller som helhet. En kan velge ut relevante filmer for egen arbeids kontekst og benytte dem i internundervisning.
I tilknytning til filmene, er det lagt forslag til refleksjons- og øvingsoppgaver. Filmene og oppgavene kan benyttes både i gruppe eller individuelt.
The Murad Code project is a global, consultative initiative which aims to build and support a community of better practice for, with and concerning survivors of systematic and conflict-related sexual violence.
For years, survivors of systematic and conflict-related sexual violence (SCRSV) have shared their frustrations and trauma about participating in ineffective and unethical interactions with people documenting, investigating, reporting, researching, monitoring or otherwise gathering or using information about SCRSV. No matter how well-intentioned they may be, when people doing this work do not follow the existing laws and relevant minimum standards, they cause or further amplify harm to survivors.
A series of short Q&A videos from IRCT’s professional network. Quickly understand the history and purposes of the Istanbul Protocol, as well as the major questions practitioners need to answer to use it easily and effectively.
Simply put, the IP – as it is known to practitioners – tells you everything you need to know about the legal foundations for the absolute prohibition of torture, the relevant professional ethical codes for working with survivors, the practical steps required to be taken by States, and by doctors, psychologists and lawyers when interviewing torture survivors, and the different considerations when documenting the physicaland psychological evidence of torture.
Scroll down for short videos.
Torture, one of the most heinous crimes known to humanity, inflicts profound harms on individuals and threatens the health, dignity, and wellbeing of families and communities. Health professionals have a duty both to document torture and to protect human rights as a foundation for human health and wellbeing.1 Effective clinical investigation and documentation are essential to corroborate allegations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment and to achieve prevention, accountability, and redress for such crimes. Yet, until the 1990s, there were no internationally accepted standards for documenting torture and ill-treatment. (To read the full article, register for free at Lancet)
The irct.org website serves as a central resource provided by the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) in support of the Istanbul Protocol. It offers comprehensive information and materials related to the Istanbul Protocol, including access to the official documents, guidelines, and resources for its implementation. The website likely aims to facilitate the understanding and effective use of the Istanbul Protocol by various professionals, such as legal experts, health professionals, and human rights defenders, involved in the documentation and investigation of torture and ill-treatment.
This is an editorial about the 2022 revised version of the Istanbul Protocol (IP). The author discusses the updates and changes in the new version, comparing it to the previous versions from 1999 and 2004. They highlight the expansion of legal content, the increase in length, and the ongoing debate between those advocating for a simpler protocol and those seeking a more comprehensive and specialised version.
This document provides a summary of the changes, clarifications, and updates made in the 2022 edition of the Istanbul Protocol. The Istanbul Protocol is a set of guidelines for States on the investigation and documentation of torture and ill-treatment. The 2022 edition includes additional information developed over the past 20 years, clarifications to existing guidance, and new guidance on important topics identified by stakeholders. The key principles of the Istanbul Protocol remain unchanged
Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment present the 2022 edition of the Istanbul Protocol, which builds upon the previous 2004 edition. This multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary road map is based on a large-scale international consultation that was carried out by more than 180 experts, including health, legal and human rights professionals from all regions of the world. Based on relevant provisions of international law, it provides even more concrete, clearly defined and well-understood guidelines to assist Member States, national human rights institutions, national preventive mechanisms, civil society, legal and health professionals and other relevant experts in implementing the Istanbul Protocol standards.
Women and girls in Afghanistan are extremely vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV) and face substantial barriers accessing healthcare facilities to seek help after such violence. This is widely known. Much less is known about sexual violence committed against men and boys, the barriers male victims/survivors face accessing healthcare facilities, or the quality of healthcare provision available to them. This report presents the findings of research conducted by international non-governmental organisation All Survivors Project (ASP) with its partner on the ground in Afghanistan, Youth Health and Development Organization (YHDO).
The effects of climate change, such as changes in temperatures, precipitation and biodiversity loss, are affecting human health, food security and livelihoods, as well as the quality and availability of land, water and other natural resources. As individuals are intrinsically linked to their environment, climate change poses a serious threat to every aspect of human life. It has been long recognized that the consequences of climate change are not experienced evenly, and women – who are less likely than men to own productive assets and are more dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods – are likely to be disproportionately affected. Social norms often put women in charge of gathering food, collecting water and fetching fuel for cooking and heating – chores that are increasingly time-consuming as climate change affects the availability and quality of these resources.
Climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of hydrometeorological hazards. As temperatures change, rain patterns become erratic, and severe weather intensifies, livelihoods and ecosystem are increasingly affected. Immediate climate action is needed, and women and girls must be at the forefront of these efforts.
“We had nothing to eat for fifteen days,” sighed Sajida (20), as she recounted to me her experiences of the 2022 floods in Pakistan. “My whole family got Malaria, and we couldn’t access medicines or hospitals as Khairpur was drowned.”
The climate crisis does not affect everyone equally. Women and girls face disproportionate impacts from climate change — largely because they make up the majority of the world’s poor, who are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood.
Gender inequality coupled with the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. It poses threats to ways of life, livelihoods, health, safety and security for women and girls around the world.
Climate change brings exposures to heat, air pollution, poorer quality food, and infectious disease that have significant direct effects on women and their mental health. These environmental impacts are multifaceted in their consequences and raise risks of depression, suicide, violent victimization, post-traumatic stress disorder, and various other neuropsychiatric symptoms. Women also suffer increased climate psychological risks from higher rates of stillbirth, preterm birth, and developmental problems in their children. Here we review what is known about the overlap of women’s individual mental health and climate change, and highlight areas where more research is needed.
The advent of climate change era has been affirmed by various global processes including 21 May 2019 recognition by the Anthropocene Working Group of ‘human impact’ in bringing profound alterations on planet earth. It has emerged as the predominant ‘world problematique’. Though entire populations are affected by climate change, women and girls suffer the most. Due to their traditional roles, women are heavily dependent on natural resources.
Within hours of returning to power Monday, United States President Donald Trump issued a stunningly broad executive order that seeks to dismantle crucial protections for transgender people and denies the validity of gender identity itself.
The new order withdraws a range of executive orders issued by former President Joe Biden, including those allowing transgender people to serve in the military, advancing the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, and interpreting federal sex discrimination protections in domains like education, housing, and immigration to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Executive Order issued by the White House on January 29, 2025, addresses the issue of “radical ideologies” in K-12 schools, with a focus on ending “indoctrination”, “protecting parental rights”, and “promoting patriotic education”. The order emphasises that schools should provide children with a rigorous education while fostering a sense of patriotism and admiration for the United States, rather than pushing “anti-American ideologies”. It expresses concerns about ideologies that force children into specific identities based on race or gender and undermine critical thinking, family unity, and national unity. The order mandates the creation of a strategy to eliminate federal funding for schools promoting harmful ideologies and ensures the protection of parental rights. It also reestablishes the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission to promote patriotic education, culminating in a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
This text is an executive order issued by the White House on January 21, 2025, addressing the end of “illegal discrimination” and the restoration of merit-based opportunity in several key sectors of American society. In general, the order seeks to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies, which, according to Donald Trump, violate civil rights laws in the U.S. and promote illegal preferences based on race and sex.
The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, shared that its classic crisis services (lifeline, chat, text) began to experience significant increases in volume towards the end of election night.
Update from The Trevor Project: Thank you for looking into The Trevor Project’s increased volume of crisis contacts, which was data our team pulled November 6 early morning. As of November 7 evening, 2024, the organization’s updated volume data is as follows:
From passports to health care, the White House is trying to make it harder for transgender Americans to live openly and safely. Here’s a look at the executive orders and their impact.
LGBTQ+ youth are afraid, confused, and anxious about the outcome of the election, The Trevor Project said. Here are some resources.
Among his first actions as president, Trump issued a series of executive orders and agency directives banning gender-affirming care for young people, barring transgender people from serving in the military, and prohibiting trans women from playing in women’s sports leagues. The obsessive fixation on purging trans identity from society has also become a guiding force for Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) butchering of federal agencies.
The past two decades have largely been characterized by mainstream media as emancipatory for LGBTQ communities; indeed, queer and trans people have achieved many legal wins. But despite what has appeared to be a slow march to acceptance and inclusion, the post-marriage equality era has ushered in a virulent form of backlash wherein trans communities are demonized and criminalized through an abundance of anti-trans laws and policies, many of which target trans youth and access to healthcare, schools, and sports.
Right after Donald Trump won the election, Max Kuzma set to work. As a trans man living just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, he knew he needed to get his documentation in order. He considers himself lucky that he already legally changed his name, but rushed to make sure his passport and other documents reflected that. Like so many other trans Americans, Kuzma worried Trump would make good on his promise to roll back LGBTQ+ rights and threaten trans healthcare and the overall safety of the queer community.
Starting on the first day of his second term, President Trump began to issue numerous executive actions, several of which directly address or affect health programs, efforts, or policies to meet the health needs of LGBTQ+ people. This guide provides an overview of these actions, in the order in which they were issued. The “date issued” is date the action was first taken; subsequent actions, such as litigation efforts, are listed under “What Happens/Implications.”
During his first two weeks in office, President Donald Trump has signed nearly 40 executive orders. They cover a dizzying array of policy areas –from immigration to public school — and many of them have already been challenged in court. The orders have impacted all of our lives, and, constitutional or not, the damage that some of these orders threaten to do is real.
But can President Trump actually carry out the policy plans outlined in his executive orders? Below, the ACLU explains the history, function, and limits of a presidential executive order.
From 2163 citations screened, 61 studies were included in the final analysis. The review highlights that climate change disproportionately affects women, exacerbating pre-existing gender inequalities. Specific impacts include heightened mental health challenges, adverse maternal and newborn health outcomes, increased water insecurity, and an intensified caregiving burden. Women in LMICs are particularly vulnerable due to reduced access to resources, healthcare, and decision-making platforms, further limiting their adaptive capacities.
This guidance brochure has come into being through many years of experience in clinical work with refugees, both in specialist health services, and in municipal health services1. Its development is the result of a cooperation between the Regional centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and suicide prevention, Region Mid-Norway (RVTS Midt), which deals with issues relating to Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention (RVTS), Mid-Norway regional office, the Refugee Health Team (RHT) in Trondheim Municipality, Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo and Department for Social Work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)/NTNU Social Research.
The ACLU is tracking 456anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. Choose a state on the map to show the different bills targeting LGBTQ rights and take action. While not all of these bills will become law, they all cause harm for LGBTQ people.
LGBTQ+ young people in states with a lower LGBTQ+ policy index were more likely to cross into another state to access health care or consider moving out of the state altogether compared to those in states with a higher LGBTQ+ policy index.
Starting on the first day of his second term, President Trump began to issue numerous executive actions, several of which directly address or affect health programs, efforts, or policies to meet the health needs of LGBTQ+ people. This guide provides an overview of these actions, in the order in which they were issued. The “date issued” is date the action was first taken; subsequent actions, such as litigation efforts, are listed under “What Happens/Implications.” It is not inclusive of administrative actions that impact LGBTQ+ people that are not directly related to health and health care access, such as efforts related to participation in sport even though those actions might have an impact on well-being. In addition, within the actions examined, only provisions directly related to health and health access are described in table.
Five dominant themes emerged across the four years: (1) an actively anti-LGBTQ administration, (2) regression of LGBTQ + rights and protections, (3) increased societal anti-LGBTQ + hate/bigotry, (4) negative LGBTQ + psychological impact due to increased rhetoric/social discrimination, and (5) fear of lack of future LGBTQ + equality. Year-to-year trends emerged such that in 2017 anti-LGBTQ + concerns were heightened, and in 2018 to 2020, participants described ways they experienced the effects of increased anti-LGBTQ + threats to their rights, negative mental health outcomes, and discrimination. In 2020, there also was consistent dread expressed at the prospect of Trump being re-elected.
Health misinformation has become a central feature of public discourse on transgender rights, where it has been mobilized to advance state and federal policies that limit (or in extreme cases, prohibit) the provision of trans-related health care. These policies not only deny trans people (and in particular, trans youth) access to necessary care, but also diminish trans people’s social outcomes and restrict their human rights
Many would be quick to point out that LGBTQ + rights have come a long way in recent years. Indeed, the past two decades have largely been characterized by mainstream media as emancipatory for LGBTQ + communities, with gains like marriage equality, hate-crime legislations and anti-discrimination protections. Despite what appears to be a slow march towards inclusion, the post-marriage equality era has ushered in a virulent backlash. This evolving landscape is reflected in the ubiquitous attempts to demonize and criminalize trans communities, and against this backdrop of increasing violence, Project 2025 is, one can summarize, the first step in a larger anti-LGBTQ + and specifically anti-trans plan.
Розмова з дитиною про смерть може викликати у неї багато емоцій та запитань. Через повномасштабне вторгнення необхідність правильно розповісти про смерть близької людини чи навіть стала ще нагальнішою. Хоч на перший погляд ця розмова є дуже складною та може травмувати дитину, вона все ж є необхідною. Інформація знаходиться тут.
Рекомендації для батьків щодо підтримки дітей, які втратили здоров’я та зазнали ушкоджень внаслідок війни. Коли батьки дізнаються про стан здоров’я дитини внаслідок ушкоджень, яких вона зазнала, то відчувають себе пригніченими, розгубленими і так само, як дитина, потребують підтримки, особливо в перші дні після трагедії. Ці рекомендації допоможуть вам підтримати себе та дитину, котра втратила здоров’я внаслідок ушкоджень і травмувань. . Інформація знаходиться тут.
Guidelines for parents. Supporting Children Who Have Lost Their Health and Suffered Injuries Due to War. When parents learn about their child’s health due to the injuries they have suffered, they often feel overwhelmed, confused, and distressed. Just like the child, they also need support, especially in the first days after the tragedy.