Civil Trauma Faced by Afghan Refugees - Term Paper Example

Contents Contents Introduction 2 History of Conflict in Afghanistan 2 History of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan 4 Life Transition of Refugees 5 MentalHealth Symptoms Following War and Repression in Afghanistan 6 Loss of Identity of Afghan Refugees 7 Refugee Children Worst Affected 8 Conclusion 8 Bibliography 9 Introduction Recent warfare has increased the refugee population all over the world. According to Hugo Gryn, an Auschwitz survivor called the twentieth century” the century of refugees”. The Displacement of whole populations due to famines or warfare resulted in large number of refugees. This enforced migration highlights the humanitarian concerns, our social biases and national and international policy. What lay ahead for refugees after their battle of survival? This paper aims at analyzing from humanitarian point of view the lives of refugees, often treated as an undifferentiated mass, both before and after displacement. This paper will explore the civil trauma faced by Afghan refugees and investigate the socio cultural and political background of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan. This paper aims at highlighting the lifelong psychological and mental affects of the trauma and the kind of life in refugee camps. History of Conflict in Afghanistan Afghanistan has a very long and rich history mainly due to its geostrategic position. It lies on the crossroads of many cultures and on the many Asian migration routes. It is the home of many diverse cultures and population mainly due to extensive trade and migration. This diversity is one of the most important determining factor in its politics and responsible for the current economic and political instability. The term Afghanistan evolved in the eighteenth century when Pushtuns took control of this territory. Originally the term Afghan was also termed to Pushtuns majority. This also had political implications which made all non-Pushtuns outsiders to Afghanistan. Current Afghanistan is also divided among many ethnic groups. A rough estimate reveals that Pushtuns are the dominant majority forming 40% of the population. Second biggest group is of Tajiks who constitute 20% of the population. The other important ethnic groups are Hazaras, Uzbeks and Aimaqs each forming almost 9 % of the population. Afghanistan has a long history of conflicts and wars. However it gained its first independent monarchy in 1919-1973. During this period Afghanistan managed its own independent foreign policy. The third Afghan –Anglo war fought in 1919 led by king Amanullah earned Afghanistan complete freedom. This resulted in huge migration from central Asian countries to Afghanistan which became safe haven for Muslims and hence enriched the already diverse population of Afghanistan. Amanullah implemented the modern concept of a nation according to the wishes of the King. This became the first cause of drift between the Islamic scholars and the modern government. Throughout this independent monarch period there were many political reforms sometimes conservative and sometimes very liberal. During the last decade of the Zahir’s rule there was severe political instability with many active political parties and freedom of press. In 1965 Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was formed in 1965 which was basically the Afghan Communist party. In 1969 elections the Communist were elected in the government. The PDPA representatives immediately took control of all the major authoritative positions and paved the way for soviet invasion and military coup of April 1978. They tried to abolish all traditional and Islamic religious customs practices and policies and tried to form a secular state. This attempt became the root cause of all the internal conflict and the rise of Taliban. Afghanistan came into the international lime light with the Soviet invasion, guerrilla war fought by Afghans against the Soviet Union and the communist government. Recent history has seen huge political upheaval in Afghanistan. Civil war broke out after the fall of the Marxist government. It has also witnessed the rise and fall of the fundamental regime of Taliban with its various human right abuses. Taliban regime also left Afghanistan with Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaida terrorists. This Al-Qaida element again brought country into international limelight for its coalition with USA, British and many other troops to launch fight against terrorism and anti-Taliban forces in 2001. (Clement) One can understand the gory of war by studying the statistics of the catastrophe. Only soviet invasion has been very lethal for Afghanistan let alone the aftereffects of this war, and the ongoing war against terrorism in Afghanistan after the notorious 9/11 incident in 2001. In Soviet invasion out of the total population of 16.4 million in Afghanistan more than 5 million were killed while 3 million people suffered with severe injuries resulting mainly in some sort of disability. (Senker, 2008)Half of the disabled population suffered from sensory disability such as deafness, blindness and mental retardation other were wounded and maimed. About 3.5 million managed to escape and became refugee in Pakistan. History of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan The Soviet invasion in Afghanistan in 1979 forced 3 million Afghan men, women and children to take refuge in the North West frontier province of the neighboring country Pakistan. Afghan refugees tried to flee and seek refuge in many different countries Pakistan being the neighboring country had to bore the major bulk of the several refugee waves from Afghanistan due to consistent instability in the country over the last thirty years. In the first wave of refugees which came after soviet invasion Pakistan tried to provide refuge with 200 refugee camps built for 10,000 refugees. The influx was much larger than expected and the facilities became insufficient for the refugees. (Packard, 2007). Afghan refugees are considered to be the world’s largest refugee population and Pakistan has been the host for several years. The first flow of refugees to Iran and Pakistan occurred in 1978 with the communist coup in Kabul. More influx of refugees came in both Iran and Pakistan as fighting spread in the whole country. By the end of 1980 the influx of refugees in Pakistan reached over 80,000 to 90,000 per month according to an official report by government of Pakistan. This influx of refugees reached its peak in 1984 when it touched the figure of 3.5 million refugees which included around 400,000 unregistered refugees (Lischer). Even after the fall of Soviet Union in 1989 no major resettlement to Afghanistan repartition was observed until 1992 after the fall of NajibUllah’s Communist government. A major resettlement took place in that summer when over a million Afghanis returned to their native land. Unfortunately it didn’t continue at the same pace and slowed down but according to UNHCR (United Nations Human Resource Commission, 2000) almost half of the refugees returned to Afghanistan. When Afghanistan was struck by draught in 2001 there was again a great influx of refugees in Pakistan, and the number was found to be close to two million. Another influx came in 2002 when USA launched its anti-terrorism war in Afghanistan. This time the inflow was estimated around 300,000 of the most vulnerable refugees. (Group) Life Transition of Refugees The affect of socio environmental factors such as wars, famines and political upheaval is devastating. It totally disrupts and transforms a refugee’s normal life development and life style. It drives them out of their country of origin in exile against their will which deeply affects their Psychosocial and mental affects. This trauma has lifelong impacts and transforms the life and personality of the refugee forever. (Miller, 2010) This trauma has many aspects in the flight stage it is the battle of survival and in the refugee camp the fight is for self esteem, self reliance, no daily routine and lack of privacy along with many social and emotional issues. (Maley, 2009) Mental Health Symptoms Following War and Repression in Afghanistan In Afghanistan a survey was conducted by Ministry of Health to gauge the mental health of people after the war with the support of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the centre of disease control (CDC) in Atlanta. The study found that the signs of depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were higher in Afghanistan as compared to other countries in conflict situation. An overwhelming majority of two third of the population surveyed suffered from multiple traumas whereas 42% has experienced PSTD. The level of anxiety was found higher in people with physical disability (85%) as compared to people with no physical disability (69%). Afghanistan being a highly patriarchal society physical disability refrain men from assuming their traditional role of bread earners and protector of the family. (Organization) The symptoms of PTSD are higher in Afghan refugees mainly because of the prolonged war and political unrest for about thirty years. Afghan refugees has suffered from shocking and horrific experiences which includes near death experiences, separation from family, witness the murder and death of a stranger or a family member, rape of family members, imprisonment and torture besides physical disabilities which has resulted in a very high percentage of PTSD problems. (Ward) A refugee shows many signs of anxiety, depression, alienation, withdrawal, disorientation, persistent fatigue and many other physical and psychological symptoms (Ponteratto, 2010). Refugees lose their self esteem and fear that they will not be able to function properly in the new environment and culture. Same problem was faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Male refugees especially lost their self esteem and feared that they will not be able to function properly in the new environment and culture. It is especially difficult for male members in patriarchal societies like Afghanistan. Although two cultures do have some similarities but by and large they are different, and language being one of the significant factors to be counted for. It becomes very difficult for refugees to survive economically. It became especially difficult in case of Afghan refugees who were mainly businessmen and not very educated. Seeking employment along with legal limitations became very difficult for them. Even for those who were educated, non transformability of academic degrees and lack of proficiency in language was a big hurdle in their way of economic independence. (Hart, 2010) Loss of Identity of Afghan Refugees According to a UNHCR report in 2008-2009 the total afghan refugee population is still 3 million out of which two third i.e. 2.1 million live in Pakistan. Pakistan is not a party to the 1951 refugee convention. The only law that is applicable to refugees in Pakistan is the ‘1946 foreigner’s act’ which was later amended in 2001. This situation releases Pakistan of the responsibilities of refugees and has some leverage in dealing with them. The situation of refugees in Afghanistan is bit different from other refugees who are closed from the outside world. In case of Afghan Refugees they first were living in Refugee Tented Villages(RTV) which later turned into Afghan refugee villages(ARV) which with the passage of time became more permanent. Most of the Afghan refugees move freely in the country and they are not kept closed from the world. They can find work and many of them have acquired Pakistani IDP card. Most of the Afghan refugee population who are in Pakistan now consists of those individuals who came to Pakistan after 1988. They are mostly young people who are either born in exile or they were very young when they arrived in Pakistan (Maley, 2009) (Adoleman, 2008). They have lost connection with their home land. They have no affiliation with their home country and hence have no intention of going back to Afghanistan. Refugee Children Worst Affected Children are worst affected by any such trauma. It can distort their personality and behavior for the rest of their lives. Exposure to such traumatic events can result in disruptive behavior and other behavioral disorders. (Catany)Anxiety disorder is the most common disorder found among such children. This can take many forms such as fear, state and trait anxiety, and multi dimensional anxiety. Multi dimensional anxiety has four scales namely physical symptoms, social anxiety, harm avoidance and separation panic. Children themselves cannot be trusted for reporting behavior disorders (Mann, 2005). They need special care and attention by the adults and doctors in fighting their disorders and enabling them in living a normal life. Conclusion Wars, famines or any other sociopolitical event which results in large displacements and refugees has very far reaching influences. It has transforms the lives and personalities of the Afghan refugees forever. Its impact is much more and deep rooted than the apparent economical, social and political loss. Afghan refugees have to fight not only for their safety and survival but also for the basic necessities of life. The trauma they had faced has taken its toll on their mental, physical and emotional health. The journey for resettlement and living a normal life is not easy for them. Bibliography Adoleman, Howard. Protracted Displacement in Asis: No Place to call Home. London: Ashgate Publishing, 2008. Catany, Claudia. "War trauma, child labor, and family violence: Life adversities and PTSD in a sample of school children in Kabul†." Journal of Traumatic Stress (2009): 163-171. Clement, Frank. Conflict in Afghanistan:a historical encyclopedia. California: ABC-CLIO, inc, 2003. Hart, Jason. Years of Conflict: Adolscence,Political Violence and Displacement. USA: Berghahn books, 2010. Hilali, A.Z. US-Pakistan relationship: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. England: Ashgate Publications, 2005. joseph G. Ponteratto, Liza A Suzuki,J MAnuel Casas, Charlene M Alexander. Handbook of Multicultural Couneselling. London: Sage Publications, 2010. Maley, William. The Afghanistan wars. New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2009. Mann, Mathew J Fried. promoting the psychosocial wellbeing of children following War and Terrorism. Oxford: IOS Press, 2005. Miller, Thomas W. Handbook of Stressful Transitions Across the Lifespan. Kentucky, 2010. Organization, World Health. Social Determinants of Health in Countries in Conflict. Cairo: World Health Organization, 2008. Packard, Randall M. The making of a tropical disease: A short history of malaria. USA: John Hopkins University Press, 2007. Senker, Cath. Migration and Refugees. Evan Brothers, 2008. Thomas, Jane. 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