Pakistan

Everyone has heard of Malala Yousafzai and the challenges faced by girls in obtaining education in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan. The attack on the school in Peshawar in December 2014 killed 132 schoolchildren aged 8 to 18. As a result of the Peshawar attack it has been estimated that two-thirds of the population of this city are now suffering from trauma

Terrorism and radicalisation

Many children and young people in northwestern Pakistan are affected by the Taliban’s fundamentalist ideology and campaign against the education of women and girls. The radicalization of Pakistani youth and the threat of terrorism are having a big impact on the mental health of people living in the region, as well as challenging the ability of the authorities to provide safe, universal education.

Our work

We have trained four therapists from the Sabaoon School in the Swat Valley, which rehabilitates boys recruited by the Taliban. They travelled to the UK for training in 2012. Two have become CATT trainers.

Since the Peshawar massacre we have trained a UK-based psychiatrist who went to Pakistan to treat survivors and others affected by the terrible events of December 2014. CATT-trained staff of Sabaoon are also working in Peshawar.