Syria's young refugees suffer from conflict aftermath


02-01-2015 11:32 PM

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Syrian refugee Alaa Salman, 10, has difficulty sleeping and lives in a state of constant fear that is adversely affecting his life and his relationship with others.

The reason behind the tension and fear gripping Alaa is not related to an apprehension of going to school or obsession with a game he wants to buy, like other children, but rather because "his mother was killed before his eyes" in the Syrian conflict, said his father Jamal Salman.

Salman, who lives with his family in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, said his son Alaa has no desire to even play with other children since he witnessed the death of his mother during a bombing of the neighborhood where they lived in a village in south Deraa province.

This incident prompted Salman to flee to Jordan in 2012 with his son Alaa, his two daughters, Salma and Iman, and a number of other relatives.

"My son is still suffering from major psychological trauma and keeps to himself most of the time as a result of the violence and destruction he witnessed when he was eight years old," the father told Al-Shorfa.

"My son is not the same child he was before," he added.

Salman had Alaa attend some of the sessions held by humanitarian organisations in Zaatari camp in the hope they would help him recover from the trauma he suffered.

"Hopefully he will get better," he said.

Alaa's story is not unique at the Zaatari camp. It is shared by thousands of Syrian children living in the camp who are traumatized by the horrors of war and the violence they witnessed in their country since the outbreak of the war in 2011, experts told Al-Shorfa.

"Bright Future for Mental Health", a Jordanian non-governmental organisation, holds numerous activities at the refugee camp to treat children suffering from psychological disorders and trauma and provides them with psychological support.

"Psychological disorders and trauma must be treated at an early stage so the children do not lose their childhood and become isolated and aggressive," said Mohammed Abu Hilal, a psychiatrist and founder of the non-profit organisation.

Abu Hilal said the organisation holds numerous activities and will expand its programmes and events to help Syrian refugee children in other ways as well, including providing them with food, housing and clothing.

'URGENT NEED'

"All children in Syria have witnessed acts of violence, destruction and bombings and urgently need psychological support," he told Al-Shorfa. "This is usually ignored and efforts are focused on medical relief and housing for the refugees."

The organisation trains many volunteers from among Syrian refugees to deal with these cases, because "they know how to communicate effectively with Syrian children and their families", Abu Hilal said.

"Many parents both inside and outside Zaatari camp avoid sending their children for treatment, and there is a need for additional support and for an expansion of the programmes that focus on the children's mental health," he added.

Aghyad Abu Zaid, a volunteer with the organisation, said the focus should not be solely on Syrian children inside the camp, but must also extend to those who live outside it, noting that there is a shortage of specialists and psychiatrists.

Abu Zaid, who works within teams that visit Syrian families to introduce them to the programmes run by the organisation, said, "There is a need for greater awareness in order to reach a larger number of Syrian refugees".

*Al-Shorfa




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