Turkey

in partnership with the SYRIAN ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

In April 2014, we travelled to Turkey, home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees, to run a level 2 CATT training course in the city of Gaziantep. Participants from all over the Middle East were selected in conjunction with the Syrian Association for Mental Health, and comprised a group of 11 psychiatrists, psychologists, and trainee psychologists/child support workers. The course was extremely well received, qualifying 11 mental health professionals, 10 of whom were Syrian, to deliver CATT to traumatised children. At the request of Syria Relief, one of the agencies which sent its staff for training, Luna subsequently supported an experienced UK-based CATT practitioner to travel to Reyhanli to assist with follow-up work, as so many cases had been identified requiring treatment.

The Syrian Conflict

Since the beginning of the national uprising in 2011, conflict in Syria has escalated and nearly half a million people have lost their lives, including over 50,000 children.

More than half of Syria’s population have fled their homes. About 5.1 million Syrians are refugees who’ve left the country across borders to Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, and 6.3 million are internally displaced within Syria.

Of those displaced, half are children. These children are at risk of becoming malnourished, physically sick, abused, or exploited, and are extremely likely to have experienced trauma. Many have been out of education for many years, and are being called a ‘lost generation’.

The number of refugees created by the Syrian conflict shows no sign of slowing down.