Mental health conditions in conflict situations are much more widespread than we thought: But there’s a lot we can do to support people
“Today, there is no shortage of countries in conflict. UN estimates suggest that in 2019, nearly 132 million people in 42 countries around the world will need humanitarian assistance resulting from conflict or disaster. Nearly 69 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced by violence and conflict, the highest number since World War II.
Fortunately, there’s a lot we can do to help them. Indeed, there’s a lot we are doing.
In 2019 WHO is addressing mental health in countries and territories with populations affected by large-scale emergencies across the world, in Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and the West Bank and Gaza Strip, among others.
In many countries in the world, ignorance about mental health and mental illness remains widespread. The uptake of mental health care during conflict and other emergencies, in countries where such support has been limited, can lead to the identification of people who are tied up, locked in cages, hidden from society. In many cases, it is this very support that helps dispel myths about mental illness and leads to treatment and care and a path towards a more dignified life.
We have also learned that, when the political will exists, emergencies can be catalysts for building quality mental health services”, Dr Mark van Ommeren, WHO
Bangladesh Gaza Strip Global Iraq Jordan Libanon Nigeria South Sudan Syria Turkey Ukraine West Bank
Conflict related sexual violence: Report of the United Nations Secretary-General
“Conflict-related sexual violence is now widely recognized as a war crime that is preventable and punishable. The United Nations Security Council has played an important role in the past decade
by passing successive resolutions that emphasize accountability for perpetrators and services for survivors.”
– United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
Afghanistan Bosnia and Herzegovina Burundi Central African Republic Colombia Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Iraq Libya Mali Myanmar Nepal Nigeria Somalia South Sudan Sri Lanka Sudan (Darfur) Syrian Arab Republic Yemen
Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa
The purposes of this course are to raise awareness about Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and
subsequent resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), and 2122
(2013); to mobilize governments and civil society to mainstream a gender perspective into all areas of
peace and security; and to build national and regional capacities for mainstreaming the women, peace,
and security agenda.
This course was designed as an accessible resource for decision makers, government officials,
civil servants and Members of Parliament, practitioners, and civil society who are involved in policy
development, planning, and programming in the area of peace and security.
https://cdn.peaceopstraining.org/course_promos/wps_africa/wps_africa_english.pdf
Road to recovery – Responding to children’s mental health in conflict
The report states that 142 million children are living in high-intensity conflict zones, with many more millions forced to abscond as refugees. More than 24 million children exposed to conflict today are likely to encounter mild to moderate mental health problems yet, as Save the Children rightly contends, the global response to mental health support continues to be regrettably inadequate
https://www.savethechildren.org/content/dam/usa/reports/emergency-response/road-to-recovery.pdf
Child soldiers world index. Database mapping child recruitment
Child soldiers world index is the first-ever online global database mapping child recruitment practices, laws and policies of all 197 UN Member States. This global map visualises trends in the military exploitation of children, if you click on any country you see full details of the national legal framework, policies and practices, which armed groups recruit children, number of children reported etc. It is a valuable source of research and shows the seriousness of the situation of children in the world.
New attack on human rights defenders in Colombia
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.
https://nhrf.no/article/2019/new-attack-on-human-rights-defenders-in-colombia
Transitional Justice – time for a re-think
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.
https://www.openglobalrights.org/paul-seils/Transitional-justice-time-for-a-re-think/
Barriers to Justice: Implementing Reparations for Sexual Violence in the DRC
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.
Transitional Justice Handbook for Latin America,
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.
https://www.ictj.org/publication/transitional-justice-handbook-latin-america
Investigating Rape at the International Criminal Court: The Impact of Trauma
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 Lubangas Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC) in particular has been widely reported and documented by the UN and NGOs alike.