PressTV-'Rohingya Muslim refugees traumatized'

11.4.18

PressTV-'Rohingya Muslim refugees traumatized': Focus groups involving 300 people living in the densely populated "mega-camp" in Cox's Bazar District found that 38 percent of children and 74 percent of adults "felt sad always." Suicidal thoughts were reported by four percent of youth.

Olga Rebolledo, a mental health and psychosocial support coordinator with the IOM, said, "It's an alert that youth are neglected from services."

"They don't have any options here right now, no possibilities for jobs or education," Rebolledo said.

The IOM study also said "not being recognized as citizens" was psychologically destabilizing for 40 percent of refugees. "We can't do anything about that," said Rebolledo. "What we can do is show them that they have resources and a very strong sense of identity as a community."