Written by: Angeliki Vytogianni
The reality for many children around the world encompasses mental health struggles, in terms of their social, psychological and emotional wellbeing. Particularly for children in conflict settings, the statistics show that they are at great risk for their psychological health, most commonly suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), depression, anxiety, sleep or eating disorders, behavioral issues. Due to the disruption in their lives, they usually experience three different stages of stress, as established by Lemonjava, Antia, and Lobjanidze in their study on the psychological health of refugee children. In their study, they identify the trauma and stress because of conflict in their home country, the stress of the journey of migration, and then the stress during the process of integration upon their arrival to the country that hosts them. The extreme instability in a child’s life often leads to severe issues, and due to the conditions, support is limited and excluded from primary health provision, despite being equally as important.
While many recognise this importance of a holistic child protection model that focuses on mental health and wellbeing, it is rarely fully provided. Refugees are used in the big game of politics as a means of tension between countries, examples being Greece and Turkey, or Spain and Morocco. The provision of high quality care is also very expensive and needs a certain amount of infrastructure, thus many states do not allocate adequate funds for it, while humanitarian aid organizations can only do so much. Despite the occasional positive interventions, pathways to specialized services have not been fully established or are not functional, while children under refugee status desperately need targeted material and professional assistance. Often being victims of trafficking, violence, torture, or prisoners of war, children are barely supported in a contructive way, instead their situation is being exacerbated by the state of limbo they are usually faced when waiting to obtain their legal papers and reach their final destination.
Moreover, as we have seen in many areas of life, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded issues, and children in conflict or refugee status have experienced added stress due to the health crisis. Fear of the virus, confinement, isolation measures and a lack of clear information have contributed to an increase in mental health issues reported.
Recovery after the stress and torment that refugee children experience is possible, however, it is an extensive and demanding process. Support and rehabilitation-integration programs are necessary to ensure that children find themselves in a safe, secured environment with all the resources and conditions they need, in order to grow up and reach their full potential. This takes time, attention and funding, thus we, as a society, and as a generation that will take the lead, need to set the priorities straight and act on this crucial issue for children that are suffering.
Source: Lemonjava, N. et al. (2020) Mental health status of refugee children, European Journal of Public Health, Volume 30. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.752
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