澳门六合彩

鈥淭he effects of trauma after trauma after trauma for the group of Syrian refugees who have fled war and then experienced the earthquake in Turkey are what can create more PTSD symptoms that can very deeply affect their sense of safety,鈥� begging the dreadful question of 鈥渨here can I ever be safe?鈥�听

鈥淲e escaped a death only to be faced by another.鈥� Batul鈥檚 feeling is a common sentiment shared by nearly every single Syrian refugee interviewed in the devastated border provinces of southern Turkey with Syria鈥攁 poignant reminder of the long-lasting and invisible wounds of war and displacement that are worsened by the deadly earthquakes that shook the region a year ago.听听

听 approximately , killed more than 50,000 individuals, injured hundreds of thousands, and traumatized many more; most of whom鈥攅specially the Syrian refugee community in southern Turkey and the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Syria鈥攚ere already in severe distress.听听

The disaster鈥檚 toll听

Eleven Turkish provinces, including Adana, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, and Sanliurfa鈥攈ome to the country鈥檚 majority Syrian refugee population鈥攚ere struck. In Syria, the quake severely affected war-torn cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib, causing severe trauma to a population who has undergone years of civil war, an ISIS insurgency and occupation, as well as multiple .听

With over Turkey remains host to one of the largest populations of Syrians in the region. This is still the case because of officials and the country鈥檚 fraught relationship with the EU, and at times the US, have with the fate of this .听

鈥淚 still remember when I would hear explosions and strikes near our home in Aleppo. I would hold the pillow on my head, imagining that if the roof collapses, I鈥檇 be safe鈥攊magining that I鈥檓 in the clouds, I鈥檓 protected, and nothing that would fall could kill me,鈥� the 31-year-old mother of three recalled.听听

听In 2013 Batul left her hometown of 鈥擲yria鈥檚 largest city that became one of the epicenters of the civil war鈥攚hich was soon engulfed by militant insurgents and a rising Islamic State, followed by a disastrous that led to years of in the once populous metropolis.听听

At the time of her escape from Aleppo, Batul was studying business management and sociology at Aleppo University. After spending some time in Azaz in northern Syria, the young student and her husband fled to 鈥攋ust a few miles away from Syria鈥檚 northern border鈥攈ome to the largest percentage of in a single Turkish city at 80% of its population.听听

听鈥淥nce again, death called,鈥� said Batul, as she remembered the trembles she felt while lying on a hospital bed, undergoing what millions of women elsewhere would regard nothing short of a momentous joy and a once-in-a life-time experience.听听

听鈥淚 was in labor when the first earthquake hit. I saw the surgical utensils shake on the trays next to my bed. Everything was moving and I was about to give birth.鈥澨�

听It was then that so much of her past traumas were once again triggered鈥攅xcept this time, instead of airstrikes and bombs, the earth was shaking Batul to her core. 鈥淭he nurse rushed me downstairs, and we waited by a tree for hours.鈥澨�

听In the freezing temperatures of that faithful morning, Batul survived and hours later, as thousands around her lost their lives, she miraculously gave birth to a healthy girl.听

听鈥淚 named her after the Greek Goddess Sandra鈥攖he defender of humanity.鈥� In the weeks and months following the quake, Batul suffered from depression and anxiety; feelings that she explains are reminiscent of what she felt in the years following her departure from Aleppo.听听

听鈥淎t least then I felt I had some control. I left Aleppo. I was able to flee, but when the quake happened, I had no control. Nothing was in my control. I was about to lose everything鈥攁gain.鈥澨�

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Trauma-informed support听听

鈥淭here鈥檚 a constant feeling of fear and anxiety as a result,鈥� explains Nancy Yamout, a Lebanese social worker and therapist who worked closely with Batul and nearly 60 other Syrian survivors of the quakes in southern Turkey in the months that followed the tragedy. 鈥淭hey feel they escaped death in war back home and now in Turkey they also faced death. For this population, there is absolutely no sense of stability, safety, and support. All the while, many of them are living with a constant fear of forced back to Syria.鈥澨�

Ashley Dorr is a New York-based art therapist who played a vital role in working with Yamout to design effective trauma-relief programming for Batul and many other Syrian refugee beneficiaries in Kilis and neighboring regions.听听

鈥淭he effects of trauma after trauma after trauma for the group of Syrian refugees who have fled war and then experienced the earthquake in Turkey are what can create more PTSD symptoms that can very deeply affect their sense of safety,鈥� begging the dreadful question of 鈥渨here can I ever be safe?鈥� said Dorr.听

鈥淓very single person I know has either lost between one to five family members or five to 15 extended family members,鈥� explained Hisham Dirani, a Syrian engineer by craft who has been working with Violet, a nonprofit organization focused on the various safety, security, and educational needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey and IDPs inside Syria since 2020.听

Meeting with him just a few miles north of Kilis, Dirani recounted the many stories of loss from his friends, family members, and colleagues at Violet.听
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鈥淲hen the quake happened, my close friend rushed downstairs with his wife and two kids; but he first stopped at his sister鈥檚 [apartment] that was just one floor down. There, he found his sister and her entire family killed, except one child.鈥� With a visible trembling, Dirani continued with a story that is far too familiar to the many who endured the tragedy of the February 6 quakes. 鈥淗e put everyone in his car to flee鈥攂ut along the way, in the car, his niece too died in his wife鈥檚 arms.鈥澨�

Generations of trauma听

Yamout explains how the anger, pain, guilt, and fear that has built over the years, and at times over generations (alluding to other conflicts in the region, including those in Lebanon and Palestine), can lead to generational trauma that only worsens in time.听听

鈥淵ou cannot pour from an empty cup,鈥� Yamout says as she underscores the essential need to support mothers, fathers, and caregivers, who are not only grappling with their own PTSD and trauma but are so desperately trying to support their children.听听

鈥淲hen you support a mother鈥檚 or father鈥檚 mental health and also allow them to understand the logic behind mental wellbeing, it is then that they can actually help support the mental and psychological wellbeing of their children鈥攐therwise it鈥檚 impossible,鈥� adding that if the adults and caregivers, in times of crisis or in rehabilitation stages in the months after war, displacement, or a natural disaster, remain in fear, 鈥渢hey cannot support their child who may very well be suffering from trauma, PTSD, fear and anger.鈥澨�

Behind years of trauma and fear, there is a surprising sense of calm and hope in Batul鈥檚 voice鈥攐ne that she says she owes to Yamout鈥檚 therapy and healing support over the course of a few months.听

鈥淚n my home country of Syria, the land drank more blood than water. The land smells death more than life. Here, that fear follows." Batul and many mothers and fathers alike want to move forward and, in more ways than one, find inspiration and hope in their children.听听

鈥淪he is a miracle. I don鈥檛 want to be weak; life goes forward, and I get my entire energy and inspiration from my children,鈥� said Batul as she held Sandra closely, with a grip so tight yet so gentle at heart.听听

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not express the official position of 澳门六合彩. 听