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Trauma is constant for Gaza's children
el-Namey, Isra Saleh
http://electronicintifada.net/content/trauma-constant-gazas-children/33681Date Written: 2021-07-28 Publisher: Electronic Intifada Year Published: 2021 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX24726 This article discusses the constant violence that children in Gaza are exposed to at the hands of Israel, and the long-term psychological effects that sustained trauma can have. Abstract: - Excerpt: The term "post-traumatic stress disorder" is widely used to describe the psychological effects of war or disaster. Yet the term may not be applicable to Palestinians who have been attacked repeatedly and oppressed without pause for many decades. Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme points out that each Israeli attack triggers painful memories of previous attacks. Healing thereby becomes more difficult. "Gazans are not in a post-traumatic condition but in an ongoing condition that needs deeper attention," he wrote during the May offensive. In 2020, the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme assisted more than 3,200 children, according to Abu Jamei. "It is two months since Israel’s latest attack ended,” he told The Electronic Intifada. “We don’t yet have the final figures for how many children we are assisting because of that attack. But I can tell you that the numbers are big. And they will be bigger than those for last year." Subject Headings |