Author: Ardit Hoxha
On October 27 of last year, he was repatriated from the camp Al-Hol in Syria Floresha Rasha together with her 4 children. A good news that for almost a week received all the attention of public opinion. The visit of the prime minister and some senior heads of state to Syria, accompanied by some journalists, brought to the eyes of the Albanian public shocking images from the camp where the hostages of the war of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) are kept. But strong views were not the only ones coming from the camp Al-Hol, but also from Rinas airport and this time the protagonists were the children taken out of that camp. Floresha Rasha with her children, A. Rasha, E. Rasha and H. Rasha, as well as the other child, ED, who, despite all the trauma they had gone through in the camp for several years, are presented to the Albanian public as some " victims" who were brought out of "hell Al-Hol".
The first to publish the footage was the Prime Minister, Edi Rama. The videos and photos of the children were then broadcast to all televisions and MEDIA online in place without censorship of children's faces.
These images that made the rounds of the Albanian media for days, with chronicles and even numerous broadcasts, raise another very serious problem. The damage and psychological consequences that these children especially, but also Floresha Rasha, can be caused due to media exposure in a bad psychological state.
Media exposure can slow children's rehabilitation
For experts in the field, psychologists who constantly deal with the trauma and psychological problems of children, media exposure to those children can cause a series of problems, from slowing down rehabilitation to worsening the condition.
Psychologist Denada Toçe showed us some of the problems of media exposure of children without any kind of protective filter that can slow down their rehabilitation.
The risks that threaten children's mental health, according to her, are numerous and should be taken into account by state authorities.
"They are minors who return from a camp with a history that, in addition to being inhumane, is also delicate. The story of these children was known by journalists and those who dealt with them from the beginning and, instead of the goal being to save them from that dangerous environment and then rehabilitate them, this professional confidentiality was broken from the beginning . They were sold for the umpteenth time; they felt betrayed again.
The loss of faith and insecurities about the people and the world that already surrounded them, did not calm down at any moment since arriving in the homeland. In the first days or weeks, this media attention, without any ethical care to protect the children's rights, their psycho-emotional state, their mental state, created an overlap and delay in the rehabilitation of the children", psychology explains.
Also, the psychologist Lediona Braho says that the appearance in the media in that form for those children can slow down the rehabilitation process, but it can also lead to a worsening of their condition.
"Media exposure of victims in general can cause them to be re-traumatized, adding to the psychological stress just by the fact of appearing in public. This effect is also known in the literature, so it is always suggested to protect the victims in front of the public.
The effects of this potential re-traumatization, resulting from the carelessness of the media, can be momentary, but also more prolonged in time (especially if the children are not treated appropriately). The appearance in the media has re-exposed them, not respecting their right to privacy and protection. The media should have been much more sensitive in this regard," says psychologist Braho.
So, the specialized psychologist for children, Aurela Agalliu, expresses concern that a careless treatment of these children, after what they have been through in the camp Al-Hol, it can turn into a boomerang.
"We must emphasize that staying in the camp Al-Hol it is traumatic for these children.
Exposed to violence, weapons, events, which cause multiple deformations in behavior patterns, they suffer terrible psychological consequences. The media coverage of these children is absolutely equally harmful, as it puts them in front of the risk of a possible re-victimization", - declares Agalliu.
While the representation in Albania of the organization for the protection of children, Save the Children, asked by Albanian Center for Quality Journalism in this case, it raises the concern that images of children who have lived in conflict may deepen their trauma.
"The images of children, who have gone through contexts of conflicts, tragedies and natural disasters, can be strongly justified, but at the same time they can further deepen the trauma and undermine their protection, integration and future, if they do not are treated appropriately", - says in her reaction Save the Children.
The organization qualifies the case of these children as very suitable to be kept under control with continuous psychological help to see their reaction and how they will adapt to the social reality in Albania, which is totally different from the one that they left behind in Syria.
"The children trapped in Syria are innocent victims of the conflict and should be treated as such. They have lived through conflicts, bombings and denied freedom.
They need specialized help to rehabilitate from their traumatic experiences and return to normality, which is impossible in refugee camps in critical war zones.
In every effort to protect, repatriate, integrate, as well as to be informed about children, their highest interest must prevail and be respected", - continues the reaction of Save the Children.
Also UNICEF Albania described as very important the rehabilitative process through which these children must go after repatriation. At this point, the media treatment, according to UNICEF, has a special role.
"The UNICEF office in Tirana congratulates the return of some Albanian children to the country.
This is great news! Despite this laudable achievement, the safety and well-being of other Albanian children, some of whom are orphans, who continue to stay in the Al-Hol camp and other conflict-affected areas should not be overlooked. The physical and psychological recovery, as well as the social re-integration of children may require time and tireless efforts, so UNICEF expresses its readiness to support the government of Albania in achieving this objective. In addition, we call on the media and journalists to guarantee ethics and maximum caution, so that the race for sensational news does not shock or traumatize children even more." - it is said in the statement given by the representative office UNICEFin Albania.
How should they be treated...
In A guide to basic principles for ethical reporting on children, compiled by UNICEF, states that the best interests of the child – children's right to dignity, respect, protection and participation – are the basic criteria that determine which images should be used and how they should be used. There are six basic principles that UNICEF advises to take into account, before reporting on children:
- The dignity and rights of every child must be respected in all circumstances.
- When interviewing and reporting on children, special attention should be paid to any children's rights to privacy and confidentiality, to have their views heard, to participate in decisions that affect them, and to be protected from harm and punishment, bearing in mind the possibility of injury and punishment.
- The best interests of every child must be protected at all costs, including supporting children's issues and promoting their rights.
- When trying to determine the best interests of children, the right of children to have their views taken into account should be given special weight in accordance with their age and maturity.
- People who are closer to the children's situation and better able to assess it should be given an opinion about the political, social and cultural scope of the reports.
- Do not publish a story or image that could endanger the child, their relatives or friends, even when identities have been changed, hidden or not used.
Along these lines, the experts, in response to questions sent by Center for Quality Journalism, point out that, before the children were exposed to the media in that condition, they should have been consulted by psychologists and experts in the field.
Denada Toçe says that the first people those children should meet, after leaving the camp, should be psychologists and social workers.
"This was not a telefilm, but a true story that should be consumed in complete privacy among family members. From the beginning, professionals in the social field should take them under patronage; social workers had to take care to protect them in the field from the many stressors and, until the day they were ready for a public exposure, this care would have to be given to them", - explains Toçe psychology.
While Aurela Agalliu is of the opinion that the data and identification of children should be censored.
"Such news is really joyful, but the media would do well to broadcast it censored, and in such cases no information about these children or their families should be disclosed." - emphasizes the specialist.
The following treatment
All four children, together with Floresha Rasha, who, upon their arrival in Albania, are treated in a rehabilitation center, to enable them to overcome the traumas they have experienced in Al-Hol. The center, according to what the prime minister declared on October 27, is one of the elements of the plan that the Albanian government had prepared in advance regarding the treatment of children and their subsequent integration into social groups.
"The decision to enter the territory was taken at the right moment, but we should have been ready before. The structure is ready for the children who will be repatriated, with psychologists, teachers, doctors and will cooperate with relatives to see the progress and then their inclusion in other social structures", - declared the Prime Minister, Edi Rama. a few days after the children arrived in Albania.
But psychologist Denada Toçe suggests that their psychological treatment in the future should also take into account the damage that may have been caused by media exposure at the time of repatriation. At this point, she has these suggestions for the children, but also for Floresha Rasha. "Cognitive behavioral therapy is among the most recommended therapies for post-traumatic stress disorders. Even therapy Bert it is thought to be one of the new, rapid approaches to trauma intervention. Personally, I think that staying in a quiet environment, with as little stress as possible, with the reunification of family members - a key factor in ensuring this peace - will be the main elements of their rehabilitation", she says.
For Lediona Brahon, the beginning of rehabilitation therapy should be unique for each child, based on the different needs that each one has.
“There are different types of therapies that can be offered, mainly therapies that focus on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors associated with the trauma. Before therapy, an assessment of the resources and needs of each child must be made and then the most appropriate therapy must be decided depending on the context and capacities of each family. An individual approach focusing on the child's needs, reworking the trauma with the help of a psychologist to help him rehabilitate and return to normality, can be combined with a family approach to empower the natural environment and important people in the child's life. , she emphasizes.
While the psychologist Agalliu says that during the treatment, the religious indoctrination that those children received at a very young age should not be neglected.
"Such cases need alternating therapies and this should be achieved by setting up a multidisciplinary team of professionals to carry out appropriate interventions in terms of social, psychological, health, physical and educational aspects. A form of therapy and a treatment by a psychologist alone is not enough for such cases, since the way in which the beliefs and behavior patterns were induced in traumatic circumstances affect many aspects, which have affected their psychological well-being and not alone", she underlines.
From the state authorities there is no fixed data on the number of Albanian children who are still in the camp Al-Hol in Syria, but Bedri Elezi, director of the Institute for International Studies in Kosovo, during an interview for the newspaper Si spoke of a number of 53 children and women who are in the camp guarded by the Kurds in northern Syria.
In total, according to Elez, there are 144 Albanians who are still held in this camp, which is the largest in Syria after the disbandment of the military formation of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
