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Begin New Search Topic Trauma Political Geography Syria

1. 'Retraumatized': Assessing the Impact of the Earthquake on Northern Syria's Humanitarian Crisis

Author:
Charles Lister, Dania Albaba, Nora Abdullah, Natasha Hall, and Alex Mahoney
Publication Date:
06-2023
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
The Syrian conflict, now in its 13th year, has generated a complex humanitarian emergency resulting from the dislocation of half of the country’s population and the disintegration of the Syrian public health system, greatly exacerbating the pre-existing global refugee crisis. The conflict and mass displacement have additionally had a severe psychological impact on civilians, resulting in high levels of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The earthquake that struck northern Syria on Feb. 6, 2023 — the worst in the region in 200 years — compounded and retraumatized an already acutely affected population. Last February, MedGlobal deployed a team of psychiatric professionals to conduct post-disaster mental health training in northwestern Syria — their experiences led to the publication of a groundbreaking new report: “Retraumatized: The Psychological Impact of the Earthquake on War-Torn Syria.” The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a discussion with the report’s authors, who will present their findings and policy recommendations and explore the many wider aspects of Syria’s humanitarian crisis, including the upcoming United Nations Security Council vote on cross-border aid access into northwestern Syria.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Trauma, Humanitarian Crisis, and Earthquake
Political Geography:
Middle East and Syria

2. Narrating Memories of the Homeland Paris Based Syrian Artists Reflect on the War

Author:
Vanessa Badre, Lyne Sneige, Kate Seelye, Denis Quenelle, Nagham Hodaifa, and Bady Dalloul
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
The Middle East Institute's Arts and Culture Center and The Cultural Services of the French Embassy are pleased to host a conversation with leading Syrian contemporary artists, Bady Dalloul and Nagham Hodaifa. The Paris-based artists will reflect on the past decade of conflict and trauma, its impact and influence on their work and their relationship to their homeland. They will be joined by Lyne Sneige, the Director of the Arts & Culture Center at the Middle East Institute. Dalloul grew up in France, the son of prominent Syrian artists. His work confronts the notion of what is real and imagined while challenging the process of writing history. Hodaifa, who left Syria in 2005 to pursue her studies, explores the human condition through the representation of the body. Both artists are in the current MEI Art Gallery exhibit In This Moonless Black Night: Syrian Art After the Uprising, featuring leading contemporary Syrian artists chronicling the hope, trauma, and pain of the past decade through their practice. The artists will be in conversation with Vanessa Badré, art historian, lawyer, and faculty fellow at American University.
Topic:
Arts, Culture, Conflict, Trauma, Syrian War, and Memory
Political Geography:
Europe, Middle East, France, and Syria

3. The Mental Health Costs of Displacement

Author:
Amira Roess, Mia Atoui, Essam Daod, and Mohammed Abo Hilal
Publication Date:
08-2020
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:
In addition to economic and legal insecurity, many refugees and IDPs suffer from the immediate and long-term effects of PTSD and other mental health issues resulting from their experiences with conflict, displacement, and discrimination in their new environments. While government and NGO initiatives exist in Jordan, Iraq, and other host countries to promote mental health awareness and services in refugee communities, these resources are insufficient to address this dire need. How can aid and development programs prioritize mental health as a key component of refugee support? What are the gaps in the regional mental health systems that must be bridged in order to serve refugee communities? What initiatives exist to empower refugee communities at the grassroots level to advocate for mental health services?
Topic:
Refugees, Displacement, Trauma, Mental Health, NGOs, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
Iraq, Middle East, Syria, and Jordan