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Day 14

Four minutes of art and trauma therapy for a child in Iraq

So that children can laugh again So that children can laugh again

Four minutes of art and trauma therapy for a child in Iraq
Day 14
Art and trauma therapy for children in Iraq

Ari was only 6 years old when he lost his mother in a terrorist attack in the capital Baghdad. When he heard the explosion in a nearby market, he knew his mother was there. She was taken to hospital, but any help came too late. Ari and his family were heartbroken. As a result, the security situation in the Iraqi capital worsened, so Ari's father decided to move away with the children. Ari, who had barely understood, let alone processed, the death of his mother, now had to give up his familiar surroundings, his home and his friends. He could no longer go to school either. Art and trauma therapy finally helped him to express his grief through painting: he painted scenes from his family life as well as his old and new homes. At first he only used shades of gray, but his pictures soon became more colorful. Ari will receive long-term therapy. But he can now go to school again.

Art and trauma therapy for children in Iraq
need
Psychotherapeutic treatments for children who have suffered trauma as a result of war and violence.
activity
Conducting art and trauma therapy in which children process their experiences through artistic means.
Measurable performance
Number of hours of art and trauma therapy conducted.
Result
The children are psychologically stabilized and can process their experiences through the support offered.
Systemically relevant impact
The children can develop more healthily and take a more active part in life.
background

For decades, people in Iraq have suffered from war, terror and persecution. Large parts of the country were destroyed in the Gulf War of 1991. Even the overthrow of the dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 did not bring peace, but rather fueled ethnic and religious conflicts. In particular, the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis intensified. This also led to the strengthening of the so-called Islamic State in some parts of the country (Federal Agency for Civic Education, 2018).

The population is therefore facing enormous challenges, in recent years particularly due to the war against the extremist group "Islamic State" and the civil war in neighboring Syria. Since then, almost 250,000 Syrian refugees (UNHCR, 2020) and over 1 million internally displaced people have sought protection in the Kurdish region of Iraq (IOM, 2020). Children and young people in particular are suffering from the consequences of warlike violence. They or their parents have suffered psychological and physical damage (OCHA, 2020).

The emotional needs of children in Iraq are often given little attention. As a result, their psychological symptoms often go untreated. In many cases, the parents have had traumatic experiences themselves and are therefore unable to adequately care for the emotional well-being of their children (Slemrod, 2017). Against this background, art therapy is a useful therapeutic method. Self-exploration and self-expression are important components of artistic processes and can be easily integrated into trauma therapy. Specially trained trauma therapists use this to talk to children about particularly difficult and taboo topics. These include the loss of family members or sexual violence (Rubin, 2010).

Day 14 Day 14
The good deed

With your good deed today, you are supporting children who are severely traumatized by their experiences of war and terror. With your donation, you are helping a child to process their most difficult experiences through artistic expression and trauma therapy. Children in particular respond very well to this form of therapy. By drawing situations or feelings, they can overcome their speechlessness and take an active role. Their symptoms - for example, aggression and anxiety - subside after just a few sessions. They become more lively, start to speak and find new courage to face life. At the same time, painting and playing gives the children who have experienced unimaginable things back a piece of their lost childhood.

AboutIraq
Baghdad
Baghdad
Capital city
39,309,780
39,309,780
Population
$15,365
$15,365
Gross domestic product per capita per year
Rank 120 of 189
Rank 120 of 189
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

With an estimated 25 to 30 million people, Kurds are the largest ethnic group without their own state in the world. In Iraq, they have an autonomous region in the north of the country.
About the organization and further information

organization

Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights

Further links