16.02.10
According to the Danish Refugee Council about 30% of the refugees in Denmark suffer physically and mentally as a result of trauma. This problem has been recognized for 25 years. A solution will require a wider offer of treatment, a knowledge on the subject within the municipalities that receive refugees and relevant job-opportunities for the traumatized refugees.
A recent report from Amnesty International renewed the focus on a problem that has existed for a quarter of a century. The report that marked the follow up on a previous study showed that the 13 traumatized refugees included in the report still had serious and unsolved problems. According to the Danish Refugee Council there are three main causes of this problem – the lack of treatment, the lack of knowledge and the lack of job-opportunities.
Despite the fact that the problem of traumatized refugees has been an issue for 25 years there is still a yearlong waiting-list for treatment. This situation has great personal costs for the refugees suffering from traumas and great financial costs for the society that surrounds them.
“Traumas that stay untreated for years do not simply disappear. They destroy the life of families and lead to social and economical despair. Problems that effects both the refugees directly and eventually also the society. It is simply unacceptable that these problems have exited for so long,” says Mette Blaunfeldt from the department of Integration in the Danish Refugee Council.
The waiting-lists are not the only cause of the lack of support for traumatized refugees. The municipalities responsible for the integration of refugees have no access to expert knowledge on trauma and therefore have a hard time giving qualified help.
There is a fundamental need of increased knowledge on trauma within the Danish municipalities receiving refugees. We are working to upgrade professionals within the system but the need exceed the available resources. Expert knowledge is the foundation of a solution to this problem and without it there will be no change, “ says Mette Blauenfeldt.
The Amnesty report shows the importance of employment or part time-employment as a way out of the trauma. Helping a traumatized refugee finding and coping with a job is no easy task – but it can be done. The Danish Refugee Council has had relative success with this effort in the activity centres devoted to it.
“When you suffer from trauma finding and keeping a job represents a major challenge. But with the right kind of support it is possible and there is no doubt that it generates a lot of resources and improved life-quality when we succeed in this effort. The Danish Refugee Council has experienced this first hand – but it requires a long-term effort and a great deal of expertise and resources,” says Mette Blauenfeldt.