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Psychological
Scarring of Yet Another Palestinian Generation
The
killing of Muhammad Al-Durra not only struck at the hearts and
anger of the Arab world, but many in the West as the image was
beamed on international television screens. In the last 18 months
of the occupation, well over 400 Palestinian children have been
killed. This is an article about the 1.7 million Palestinian
children in the
West Bank
and
Gaza
today, who have to live
in the knowledge that they, their parents or their friends may be
killed, injured or arrested tomorrow. Isabelle Humphries reports
for IslamOnline on a neglected side effect of war.
Teasing
Tanks
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Using megaphones from their armored vehicles, Israeli soldiers call insults in Arabic to goad children into throwing stones
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‘They
come with their jeeps and tanks just to tease them,’ says Taha
Irani, director of the
Nur El-Shams refugee camp youth center. On the edge of the city of
Tulkarm
, the camp is
regularly entered by Israeli tanks and soldiers. With high
unemployment and few activities provided for young people,
hundreds of kids are just hanging around in the streets. Using
megaphones from the protection of their armored vehicles, soldiers
call insults in Arabic to goad children into throwing stones.
Across
Palestine
, this is often
the story behind the news headline of ‘Palestinian youth shot in
refugee camp. IDF sources say boy attacked soldiers.’
The
Palestinian
section of Defense of Children International (DCI-PS)
estimates that over 9000 children have been injured, over 1400
children arrested, and over 150 schools shelled or attacked.
Schools have closed on a regular basis leaving children with a
patchy education and unpredictable daily schedule. In 2002, 850
schools had to close for about 22 days and many more
were attacked, temporarily taken
over or destroyed. And when the curfew is ‘over’, parents are
frightened to allow their children to play in the streets because
of the potential dangers, leaving children feeling trapped and
frustrated. In a time of death and injury, parties and
celebrations are muted.
Psychological
symptoms observed in Palestinian children are classic of
those coping with the effects of military attack on a daily
basis. Fear induced by the situation leads to terror of sleeping
or staying home alone, fear of the dark and loud noises, crying
and screaming. Psychologists and parents report that children’s
sleeping habits change, bad dreams and nightmares occur. Many
children become hyperactive and have excessive energy in the
house. Others have become aggressive and destructive.
Concentration, comprehension and ability to study have been
observed to a greater or lesser degree in many children.
Forgetfulness and paranoia can develop. And even when children are
free from the curfew, many parents see their children losing
interest in friends and playing, as well as showing depressive
symptoms. Bedwetting and excessive need for the bathroom are
difficult problems parents have to face with their children.
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Palestinian children experience violence first-hand on a daily basis
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Rania’s
father told me that after two Palestinians were killed by Israeli
citizens outside
their house, his 8 year old daughter started bedwetting and
drawing pictures of people with guns. The story is more shocking,
when you realize that Rania lives in
Nazareth
, a Palestinian town inside 1948
Israeli borders, where the Israeli siege only lasted a few days
back in October 2000. How much more are the minds of children in
the
West Bank
and
Gaza
disturbed by years of witnessing
violence?
Dr.
Bassem Hashem has a clinic in the besieged city of
Qalqilya
. As the Western most town in the
West Bank
, Qalqilya is completely surrounded by
the latest Israeli security wall. Children of the city are quite
literally trapped day and night. Dr. Hashem explained how in
addition to the standard medical problems of a growing population
with a lack of medical resources, the poor health of the community
is magnified by the pressures of the closure. ‘This
results in both physical and psychological problems,’ said the
doctor. He has seen many cases of nervous breakdowns or domestic
strife that reflect the psychological problems of his patients.
‘We have many worried parents reporting children bedwetting as a
result of their fears of the current situation.’ Unfortunately,
Qalqilya does not have a pediatrics department. The next closest
town with medical facilities would be
Nablus
, some 35km away with a minimum of 4 checkpoints, not to mention
the time and dangers faced in reaching the city.
The
Community Lends a Helping Hand
With
such a list of ongoing trauma, the need for counseling and
psychiatric support for Palestinian children is obvious. Under
international law, the occupying authority is responsible for all
aspects of civil administration, including medical services. While
mental health needs are not prioritized in many countries, the
situation in
Gaza
was worsened by decades of Israeli occupation.
An
increasing number of NGOs are trying to address the psychological
needs of Palestinian children, but as with physical needs, the
demand outweighs resources. DCI-PS has launched a crisis
intervention project working to reduce the adverse psycho-social
effects of the occupation, a project which is supported amongst
others by UNICEF and Save the Children. Since the first Intifada,
the Palestine
Red Crescent Society has also developed a number of
psycho-social units across the West Bank and Gaza.
The
Gaza Community Mental Health
Programme (GCMHP), headed by Dr. Iyad
Sarraj, was established during the last Intifada to provide
comprehensive community mental health services to the
overpopulated Gaza Strip.
The
organization carries out training, research and international
advocacy as well as therapy for individual clients.
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A child’s right to live care-free
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GCMHP
began with a clinic in Gaza City and now has three others across
the Strip. Different
types of psychotherapy are provided, including play therapy for
children, occupational therapy, and family therapy. Particular
attention is paid to children as some of the most vulnerable to
the emotional pressures of the conflict situation. The
organization also works through other health care centers, in
order to reduce the stigma attached to ‘seeking a
psychiatrist’. GCHMP provides free telephone counselling
services for those unable to reach clinics because of closure, and
also does not turn away parents who cannot afford to pay even the
minimal fees that they charge.
The
programme also provides education in mental health and symptoms of
trauma for the general community. In conjunction with the Islamic
University of Gaza and seven international universities, the first
Palestinian Postgraduate Diploma in Community Mental Health is
being offered, with the aim of creating a strong future for mental
health services in
Gaza.
One
of the projects of GCHMP’s research unit has been to conduct and
archive interviews with survivors of the 1948 Nakba. It is a
sobering thought to conclude with, to put the current situation in
the context of decades of high level of mental stress in the
community. The Palestinian political and national identity has
been shaped by its history of dispossession and war. Parents
anguishing over their children today will remember their own
childhood through the occupation of 1967, and grandparents recall
the Nakba of 1948. Until there is any kind of hope or stability
for the future, the number of Palestinian children suffering from
stress related disorders will continue to rise.
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Isabelle Humphries is researching the situation for Palestinian refugees living inside the 1948
borders. She has an MA in Middle East Politics and has worked
for three years with Palestinian NGOs, and as a freelance
writer, on both sides of the 1967 border. You can reach her at innazareth@yahoo.co.uk
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