DEAR Blog
Disaster Experiential Activity and Reflection
Project by Noah Hass-Cohen, Psy.D., Alliant International University School of Professional Psychology
Contributors: Jeremy Arzt, M.A.; Joanna Clyde Findley, M.A.; Anya Kavanaugh, B.F.A;
Alliant International University, Couples and Family Therapy, Crisis and Trauma course students
April 25, 2015
2011-2016: Syrian Refugee Crisis
Background
-
In March 2011, Arab-Spring inspired unrest occured in response to the arrest of fifteen boys who spray-painted anti-government sentiments on buildings. Protesters wanted release of political prisoners and the government responded by use of deadly force.
-
President Bashar al-Assad responded by lifting 48 yearlong state of emergency in order to appease some protesters. Assad also blamed the unrest on foreign powers. In April, there were more protests resulting from the ousting of Assad, and the response from the government became even more violent. Hundreds were murdered, including 120 at a protest come to be known as “Bloody Friday."
-
In May 2011 Syrian tanks were deployed to the suburbs of Deraa, Homs, Banyas, and Damascus in attempts to stop protests. The United States placed sanctions on Syria and top government officials while the European Union placed an embargo on arms.
-
Due to rising death tolls, many Syrians left the country looking for a place of shelter. Unfortunately it has not been easy for the refugees. Since the beginning of the 2011, 2,234 refugees have been admitted to the United States.
-
As of a September 2015, 500,000 migrants and refugees have entered the European Union.
-
The U.N. has been reported saying that this has been the worst refugee crisis in twenty five years. In July 2015, Hungary began to build a razor wire fence along the border of Serbia to keep refugees from entering the European Union. Also during the same month, the European Union agreed to accept 32, 256 refugees from Italy and Greece.
-
In August of 2015, 71 bodies of Syrian refugees were found in an abandoned truck in Austria. Most recently, this month in Germany, refugees entering into Germany were shouted at to “go home” from a group of people, as anti-refugee sentiment has risen after attacks largely blamed on refugees. It was later reported that refugee members were not a part of the attack in Germany.
-
In the United States, Arizona recently passed legislation that allows the state to reject refugees from settling in the state. Similar legislation is being proposed in Florida, allowing use of military force to keep out refugees not coming from Western countries.
-
In the United States, much of the negative sentiment has been due to misinformation.
Death and Injury
-
In June 2011, 34 more people were killed at a large antigovernment rally in Hama, and after the government announced that more than 120 members of their security force had been murdered in the town of Jisr Al-Shughour, a siege began on the town prompting more than 10,000 people to flee to nearby Turkey. In July, a massive demonstration was held, Assad removed the governor from Ham, hundreds more are reported killed due to this. In December, after a few more sieges take place, including a massacre in which 200 people were killed by security forces and 40 killed in a double suicide bombing, the UN reported that 5,000 had died since the uprising began in March 2011.
-
By the end of 2013, about 2.3 million refugees had fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt, with eighteen percent living in refugee camps. Adding to the rising death toll of the civil war, in 2014 alone 76,000 people were killed in what the UN and other agencies declared the deadliest year of the conflict yet.
Psychological Impact
-
Due to the nature of the crisis, mental health workers were unprepared and untrained to treat and/or screen for mental health issues, especially in children. Much of the focus on treatment, however has been on PTSD spectrum of severity and psychosocial support. The focus on more long term care and the focus on resiliency factors, however, are not receiving as much attention.
-
The ignoring of these long-term aspects can possibly lead to more generational traumas and other disorders such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychoses, and substance use. According to an International Medical Corps report, in facilities treating Syrian refugees there was a high instance of psychotic illnesses and non-PTSD presentations.
-
The level of PTSD symptoms decreased after refugees were resettled, but those who had preexisting mental health issues or more chronic exposure to trauma did not see the same improvement.
-
It has been suggested that long-term care be focused on pre-existing mental health issues, resiliency, and vulnerabilities to war-related experiences.
