Victims Of Conflict Research Articles

Learning peace (and conflict): the role of primary learning materials in peacebuilding in post-war Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka

Post-war education is usually considered a positive contributor to peacebuilding; however, it can also reinforce divisive perspectives. Textbooks and learning materials can be instrumental in maintaining or exacerbating existing inequalities. This paper uses case study literature reviews of Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka to explore the ways in which primary learning materials extend existing challenges of post-war education and potentially create new ones. An analysis of the literature on learning materials from these countries reveals that textbook development and uses are intertwined with larger national and international political and social power structures. We draw from Bourdieu and Giroux to consider how learning materials contribute to the reproduction of cultures of hostility, violence, divisiveness and silence or to transformatory cultures of peacebuilding, inclusivity and critical thought. Our resulting conceptual lens highlights how education can take on the role of being a victim, accomplice or transformer of conflict – roles that are often overlapping. Each case study country is taking steps towards peacebuilding through their primary learning materials; however, there are many elements of the textbook design, development, production and distribution process in each country that also reinforce contributing factors for conflict.

Polivictimización por el conflicto armado y sufrimiento emocional en el Departamento del Magdalena, Colombia

BackgroundEmotional distress is common in Colombian armed conflict victims. Multiple-victimisation is associated with an increase in emotional distress than victimisation due a single event. However, the association between poly-victimisation and emotional distress among victims of the armed conflict in Colombia has not been documented. ObjectiveTo study the association between multiple-victimisation and emotional distress in victims of armed conflict in the State of Magdalena, Colombia. MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed, with a secondary analysis of registration of the Psychosocial Care Program and Victim Integral Health (PAPSIVI) in the State of Magdalena, from 2013 to 2014. The profile formula grouped demographic variables, victimising events, and a set of symptoms of emotional distress (perceived discrimination, depressive and anxiety-stress). Odds ratio (OR, 95%CI) were established as measures of association. ResultsA total of 943 people were included, with 67.4% women, and ages between18 and 94 years (mean 47.9±14.2). A total of 109 (11.7%) suffered from multiple victimisation. Multiple victimisation events were associated with more emotional distress, depressive symptoms (OR=1.5; 95%CI, 1.3-1.8), perceived stigma (OR=1.3; 95%CI, 1.1-1.5), and anxiety-stress (OR=1.2; 95%CI 1.0-1.4) than a single event. ConclusionsThere is more emotional distress in multiple victimisations than in a single victimisation event during armed conflict in this region of Colombia. Further studies are required on this topic.

Leaders against all odds: Women victims of conflict in Colombia

AbstractIn the current high-profile conflict within Colombia, women account for the majority of civilian victims. It has been argued that the inclusion of women in peace-building processes may help increase the scope and sustainability of the subsequently achieved peace. However, most women victims of conflict (WVCs) achieve public visibility simply because of their suffering, not because of their potential as sources, initiators and agents of peace. In contrast, this article argues that WVCs represent a hitherto uncharted piece of the peace-building puzzle. In particular, this study explores the ways in which some WVCs are overcoming their own victimhood and emerging as leaders in peace-building, despite the significant personal risks associated with the on-going violence: who better to help heal and empower victims and reconcile society than those who have suffered trauma themselves—and risen above it? The article draws its primary evidence from extensive personal interviews, ethnographic work and data on women victims in Colombia. Against all odds, these unsung WVC leaders have proven to be powerful agents of change: capable of healing, empowering and even reconciling broader society. This article is published as part of a thematic collection on multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives on gender studies.

La Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres: repertorios simbólicos en la búsqueda de paz y reconciliación en Colombia

This paper deals with the aesthetic and expressive forms that women’s groups have grasped in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation in Colombia. These forms are the symbolic repertoires of memory, which represent a new testimonial expression, adjusted to the continent’s new political and historical demands. Throughout this process, women’s organizations have played a central role in the pursuit of peaceful coexistence after a long-lasting conflict.Women’s organizations have developed a broad continuum of memory initiatives, represented in symbolic repertoires through art undertakings, activism and education. Quite frequently, when women that have experienced loss and pain as victims of conflict join together in resistance initiatives, they gain power and leadership within their own communities. This has allowed them to arise and become cultural agents of change, as well as promoters and trainers of new generations. Sometimes, they have even acted as speakers of their regions in political fora.This paper focuses in the work of Women’s Peaceful Route and their initiatives triggering social changes. Some testimonial symbolic repertoires developed by the Peaceful Route are analyzed. They are ways of channeling memory, rebuilding the social fabric and conveying a pedagogy of peace from a gender perspective throughout the country. It is suggested that these initiatives are encouraging social changes in terms of women’s rights and capabilities awareness in both public and private sectors, and creating the space needed to address the transition towards a culture of peace in Colombia.

Etnoeducación afropacífica y pedagogías de la dignificación

This article reflects on the contributions of Afro-Colombian ethno-education to contemporary debates about reparation and dignification of conflict victims. We particularly want to highlight some features of experiments carried out in the Narino Pacific recently by community organizations. While ethno-education emerged in the late twentieth century along with the Afro-Colombian social movement, the conditions surrounding many of its dynamic performance have changed dramatically due to situations such as illegal economies, the recruitment of children to war, State neglect and forced displacement plaguing many of the collective territories of black communities. In that sense, Afro- Colombian ethno-education project has suffered important changes, and new interpretations are required in the perspective of the pedagogies of dignification and African reparations

KETERLIBATAN AYAH DAN KECENDERUNGAN MENJADI KORBAN KEKERASAN DALAM KONFLIK BERPACARAN REMAJA PEREMPUAN

The study is done to know the influence of father involvement on the tendency to become victims of conflict in dating relationship. Researcher used scale quantitative methods psychology. Researcher used adapted instrument, namely Nurturant Fathering Scales & Father Involvement Scale subscale Reported Father Involvement Scale and Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory (CADRI). There are 350 samples of respondent which is adolescent girl who has romantic relationship and living with their father. The data processing used in the testing of hypotheses analytics regression. The result of the influence is negative, this means that the higher father involvement, the lower on the tendency to become victims of dating violence in adolescent girl. The big influence of produced father involvement on the tendency to become victims of dating violence is 2,4% and the rest influenced by other factors.

A Piece of Land or Peace on the Land: How Much Is a Peasant's Life Worth in Brazil?

Land inequality in Brazil is alarming and several poor individuals living in rural areas do not have enough income to survive decently. The struggle to access land should lead to a paradigm shift with social movements leading this process since democratization. Their strategies vary, but usually focus on complementary activities of mass mobilization that culminate in the occupation of unproductive land that is not fulfilling its social function in order to force expropriation and the creation of new settlements. This study aims to investigate, through empirical evidence, if such strategies are having the desired effect of allowing the poor to access land, without increasing the already high numbers, and potentially aggravating the violent characteristics, of such disputes. During the Cardoso and Lula presidential administrations the relation between the number of new settlements and the number of deaths caused by land disputes increased. However, there is still a long way to go to improve this policy and achieve positive results. Overall, is this struggle for the reduction of inequality in the Brazilian countryside being won? Is the sacrifice paying off? And what is the price regarding the relation between land conflict victims and the creation of new rural settlements?

Gültigkeit international verbindlicher, normativer und technischer Standards der Flüchtlingshilfe auch in den deutschen Erstaufnahmeeinrichtungen

In recent refugee migration into Germany the responsibilities and reactions of health authorities are still lacking general co-ordination. Can the ethical and technical standards of international humanitarian assistance serve as an appropriate and even acompulsory guideline for relief agencies, public health and regulatory authorities in Germany? Documents from the field of medical ethics, medical law, international humanitarian law and disaster medicine will be examined and checked for practicability by consulting experiences during the 1990s Balkan wars refugee movement and international missions of relief agencies. Ethical and technical standards of international humanitarian assistance have been developed, improved and evaluated for 20years, and are valuable tools for emergency management. Victims of disaster or conflict have aright to live in dignity and therefore have aright to receive health care according to international standards. International ethical and technical standards for refugees should be considered in the Federal Republic of Germany like in any other country.

Humanitarianism, Development, and Security in the 21st Century: Lessons from the Syrian Refugee Crisis

The term humanitarianism finds its roots in 19th-century Europe and is generally defined as the “impartial, neutral, and independent provision of relief to victims of conflict and natural disasters.” Behind this definition lies a dynamic history. According to political scientists Michael Barnett and Thomas G. Weiss, this history can be divided into three phases. From the 19th century to World War II, humanitarianism was a reaction to the perceived breakdown of society and the emergence of moral ills caused by rapid industrialization within Europe. The era between World War II and the 1990s saw the emergence of many of today's nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations. These organizations sought to address the suffering caused by World War I and World War II, but also turned their gaze toward the non-Western world, which was in the process of decolonization. The third phase began in the 1990s, after the end of the Cold War, and witnessed an expansion of humanitarianism. One characteristic of this expansion is the increasing prominence of states, regional organizations, and the United Nations in the field of humanitarian action. Their increased prominence has been paralleled by a growing linkage between humanitarian concerns and the issue of state, regional, and global security. Is it possible that, in the 21st century, humanitarianism is entering a new (fourth) phase? And, if so, what role have events in the Middle East played in ushering it in? I seek to answer these questions by focusing on regional consultations that took place between June 2014 and July 2015 in preparation for the first ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), scheduled to take place in Istanbul in May 2016.

Single centre experience of combat-related vascular injury in victims of Syrian conflict: Retrospective evaluation of risk factors associated with amputation

ObjectiveTo elucidate the risk factors associated with amputation in cases with combat-related vascular injury (CRVI). Material and methodsThis retrospective study included 90 cases with CRVI treated between May 2011 and July 2013. The patients were divided into group I (n=69), in which the limb was salvaged and group II (n=21), in which the patients received amputation. ResultsThe overall and the secondary amputation rates were 23% and 18%, respectively. There were no amputations with the MESS of nine or less, increasing proportions of amputations at 10 and 11, with a level of 12 leading to 100% amputation rate. The mortality rate was 2%. Among the 52 (58%) cases with the mangled extremity severity score (MESS) ≥7, the limb salvage rate was 60%. The patients in group II were more likely to have a combined artery and vein injury (p=0.042). They were also more likely to be injured as a result of an explosion (p=0.004). Along with the MESS (p<0.001), the duration of ischemia (DoI) (p<0.001) were higher in group II. The rate of bony fracture (p<0.001) and wound infection (p=0.011) were higher in group II. For the overall amputation, the odds ratio of the bony fracture (OR: 61.39, p=0.011), nerve injury (OR: 136.23, p=0.004), DoI (OR: 2.03, p=0.003), vascular ligation (OR: 8.65, p=0.040) and explosive device injury (OR: 10.8, p=0.041) were significant. Although the DoI (p<0.001) and the MESS (p=0.004) were higher in whom a temporary vascular shunt (TVS) was applied, the utilisation of a TVS did not influence the amputation rate (p=1.0). ConclusionsThe DoI and the variables indicating the extent of tissue disruption were the major determinants of amputation. While statistically non-significant, the benefit of the application of a TVS is non-negligible. MESS is a valid scoring system but should not be the sole foundation for deciding on amputation. Extremities which were doomed to amputation with the MESS>7 seem to benefit from revascularisation with initiation of reperfusion at once. The validity of MESS merits further investigation with regard to the determination of a new cut-off value under ever developing medical management strategies.

The challenges of post conflict reintegration in Africa

IntroductionIn the past 50 years, the continent of Africa has witnessed major conflicts ranging from civil wars and liberation wars to chaos from failed States. Increasingly in these political upheavals, kidnapping and abductions of women and young persons have become more prominent.Aims/objectives/methodsIn this paper the consequences of political upheavals will be discussed. For the community there are economic, political and social disruptions. For the individuals there are family disruptions and improvements. For the abducted and kidnapped individuals there are physical, psychological and cognitive impairments, as well as consequences of sexual injuries.FindingsThere is controversy as to prevention, reduction, and management of young victims of war and conflicts. Some workers have suggested that:–the imposition of peace agreements by foreign powers may not be strictly relevant to the parties engaged in the conflicts;–culturally appropriate rituals have efficiency in the readjustment of boy soldiers and abducted girls. Nevertheless the guidelines suggested in international disagreements provide a basis for there adjustment of young war conflict victims.Conclusion–Traditional healing rituals have a place in the healing and reintegration in person's abduction in post conflict situations.– Community approaches are superior to individual approaches.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Una estrategia para la apropiación de las TIC en la reconciliación de las víctimas del conflicto armado colombiano

Una de las fases del proceso de paz que se adelanta en Colombia está relacionada con la elaboración de un acuerdo. Luego de ello, se debe iniciar una etapa de construcción de paz territorial en la que participen todos los ciudadanos y las comunidades. Uno de los objetivos de esta etapa consiste en impactar positivamente los derechos de las víctimas. Esto puede lograrse mediante la construcción de espacios que faciliten la reflexión, el diálogo y la acción entre los actores del conflicto para buscar su reconciliación. En este orden de ideas, las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC) pueden jugar un rol importante para propiciar esos espacios. Por tanto, en este artículo se presenta una estrategia para la apropiación de las TIC en la reconciliación de las víctimas del conflicto colombiano. En concreto, la estrategia se materializa en una propuesta conceptual de un sistema informático que facilite la comunicación, la interacción y la presentación de ideas y argumentos entre los actores del conflicto.

Needs or Rights? Exploring the Limitations of Individual Reparations for Violations of International Humanitarian Law

International humanitarian law (IHL) is increasingly being invoked as a potential legal vehicle for individual claims to reparations, including compensation, postconflict. In this article, I explore the limitations of such an approach. In particular, I examine the distinctly pragmatic nature of IHL, which takes as its starting premise the existence of armed conflict and from this point seeks to attenuate the effects of conflict and address the suffering and needs of those caught up in it. Drawing largely on the work of Jean Pictet, I consider how a rights-based approach – which is founded primarily on legal constructs rather than the broader needs of victims of conflict – fits with the conceptual framework of IHL. This exploration feeds into discussions on the role of rights in the context of transitional justice.

Posturas en la atención psicosocial a víctimas del conflicto armado en Colombia

El artículo presenta una revisión de la producción académica nacional relacionada con el tema de la atención psicosocial a víctimas del conflicto armado. La revisión se realizó a partir del año 2000, con el objetivo de situar las principales consideraciones sobre los procesos de acompañamiento psicosocial a la población víctima de la violencia por el conflicto armado en la historia reciente de Colombia. El análisis se hizo a partir de cuatro categorías: 1) Iniciativas estatales para la atención psicosocial a víctimas del conflicto armado; 2) Reflexiones investigativas sobre procesos de atención a víctimas; 3) Recomendaciones para las instituciones y profesionales que adelantan procesos de atención y reparación integral a víctimas; y 4) La reivindicación del sujeto en los procesos de atención. Los resultados de este trabajo presentan un panorama sobre las principales posturas asumidas en los escenarios de atención psicosocial a víctimas del conflicto en Colombia.

Nowhere to Run: A Review of the Political Economy of Migration, Identity and Xenophobic Violence in Zambia

Zambia is one of the Southern African countries that have not witnessed any serious bloody conflicts either in their post-independence eras or the periods hitherto. Consequently, the country has, over the years, provided refuge to many victims of ethnic and racial conflicts from other African countries, especially within the Sub-Saharan African region. However, Zambia faces the daunting challenge of sustaining interregional, interethnic and interracial harmony among its own indigenous groups and those identified as foreign immigrants. The April 2016 xenophobic looting of shops belonging to other African nationals by residents of Lusaka highlighted the intensification of ethnic and racial conflict in the country. Amid these identity conflicts, some commentators from different intellectual and other persuasions have tried to explain ethnic and racial identity problems in relation to primordial, constructive and instrumental theoretical underpinnings. This article goes further to draw a relationship between economic downturn and identity and xenophobic violence. The article draws arguments from a review of existing literature and empirical data.

Mental health and psychosocial support in areas affected by conflict: review of programs in the Chechen Republic

The social condition addressed in this paper is the mental and psychosocial trauma experienced by victims of violent conflicts. The study attempts to evaluate mental health and psychosocial support programs and the healing of the community in its entirety during peace building and reconciliation processes. The research uses qualitative method in order to assess the impact of the programs. The paper evaluates a case study of the Chechen Republic in Russia, which was chosen due to its recent signing of the peace treaty and cessation of hostilities. The end of the violence was selected as the baseline time in order to compare the achievements of programs from current times. The study has shown that mental health programs implemented in areas that have recently achieved peace aids in decreasing the general level of violence by de-escalating inner tensions and protracted built-up anger among victims and perpetrators.

Women and Conflict Situation in Kashmir Post 1989: A Sociological Study of District Anantnag

The armed conflict in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has touched the lives of all the people living in the valley in some way or other. Though, many women have become direct as well as indirect victims of this conflict. This paper is a sociological account of the experience of the women who became victims to this conflict going on in the valley from last two and half decades. Drawing upon personal account of these women it focuses on their experience of loss, the ostracism and stigma faced by them. The researchers utilizes the research tools of in-depth interview to understand and highlight the multiple experiences of deprivation and loss faced by these women.

Abdominal injuries in communal crises: The Jos experience.

Background:Abdominal injuries contribute significantly to battlefield trauma morbidity and mortality. This study sought to determine the incidence, demographics, clinical features, spectrum, severity, management, and outcome of abdominal trauma during a civilian conflict.Materials and Methods:A prospective analysis of patients treated for abdominal trauma during the Jos civil crises between December 2010 and May 2012 at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.Results:A total of 109 victims of communal conflicts with abdominal injuries were managed during the study period with 89 (81.7%) males and 20 (18.3%) females representing about 12.2% of the total 897 combat related injuries. The peak age incidence was between 21 and 40 years (range: 3–71 years). The most frequently injured intra-abdominal organs were the small intestine 69 (63.3%), colon 48 (44%), and liver 41 (37.6%). Forty-four (40.4%) patients had extra-abdominal injuries involving the chest in 17 (15.6%), musculoskeletal 12 (11%), and the head in 9 (8.3%). The most prevalent weapon injuries were gunshot 76 (69.7%), explosives 12 (11%), stab injuries 11 (10.1%), and blunt abdominal trauma 10 (9.2%). The injury severity score varied from 8 to 52 (mean: 20.8) with a fatality rate of 11 (10.1%) and morbidity rate of 29 (26.6%). Presence of irreversible shock, 3 or more injured intra-abdominal organs, severe head injuries, and delayed presentation were the main factors associated with mortality.Conclusion:Abdominal trauma is major life-threatening injuries during conflicts. Substantial mortality occurred with loss of nearly one in every 10 hospitalized victims despite aggressive emergency room resuscitation. The resources expenditure, propensity for death and expediency of timing reinforce the need for early access to the wounded in a concerted trauma care systems.

EXISTENCE OF THE DISTINCTION PRINCIPLE AS A PROTECTION FOR THE VICTIMS OF ARMED CONFLICT; THE IMPLICATIONS ON RENEWAL OF THE NATIONAL LAW

This study intent to analyze the existence of the distinction principle in international humanitarian law can provide effective protection against combatants and civilians in a modern armed conflict and contribute to the protection of victims of internal conflicts in Indonesia. It is very important to find the concept of the protection of victims of internal conflict in Indonesia. This research uses a normative, and the research also applies a descriptive-analytical approach to examine and analyze the research questions of the thesis. In doing so, this research uses a secondary data, these legal materials are subsequently analyzed using a qualitative juridical approach. The results showed that the existence of distinction principle at the level of concepts and implementations provide less effective protection against combatants and civilians in modern armed conflict. And the contribution of distinction principle to the protection of victims of internal conflicts in Indonesia is able to strengthen the concept of “sishankamrata” and national legislation. Keywords: armed conflict, distinction principle, protection of victim.

Phantom pain: pathogenesis, clinical features, complex conservative therapy (review)

In this review we analyzed and systematized modern studies on phantom pain (FP) due to amputation of extremities of different etiologies. An appearance of FP after amputation of extremity or of its part is a complicated medical and social problem which has not any optimal solution till now. In this article we reviewed relevance, etiology, clinical picture , pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of FP using non-drug methods. Relevance of FP problem stipulates increasing number of victims of military conflicts, natural disasters, man-made disasters as well as significant specific weight of occlusive lesions of the lower extremities vessels and tumors. In the structure of its spreading more than half amount of cases of FP takes mine-explosive and fragmentув injuries of the extremities. To preconditions of FP belongs inadequate anesthesia during surgery, advanced age, the dominant limb amputation, previous psychologi­cal disorders, pain in the stump under conditions of inflammatory and degenerative changes in muscles, somatic burdeness. The au­thors presented the complex of treatment for this pathology which includes invasive methods of treatment, pharmacotherapy, using of physical factors, reflexotherapy, functional rehabilitation, methods of biofeedback therapy, psyhotherapy. There was underlined the lack of a unified view of experts on the effectiveness of different methods of conservative treatment, sequence, combination and duration of their using. The authors concluded that for achieve­ment of optimal therapeutic effect it is possible just by individual multimodal and integrated approach where an important role play factors of non-drug treatment. There was outlined some promising areas of research in medical rehabilitation of patients with FP in order to determine the role, sequence and combination of methods of conservative therapy.