Worldwide, over 1.5 billion people experience armed conflict. In response, people are forced to flee their country, leaving over 15 million refugees. Children, without a doubt, are the most innocent and vulnerable victims ... but not just from the obvious physical dangers, but from the often unspoken effects that wars have on their families. The experiences of war leave children at a real high risk for the development of emotional and behavioral problems. Children, as we can only imagine, will feel worried, threatened and at risk. But there is good news. The quality of care that children receive in their families can have a more significant effect on their well-being than from the actual experiences of war that they have been exposed to. So actually, children can be protected by warm, secure parenting during and after conflict.
Di seluruh dunia, lebih 1.5 bilion orang mengalami konflik bersenjata. Akibatnya, ramai orang terpaksa meninggalkan negara mereka, kira-kira lebih 15 juta pelarian. Sudah tentu, kanak-kanak adalah paling tidak bersalah dan mangsa yang lemah tetapi bukan hanya bahaya fizikal yang boleh dilihat tetapi dari kesan perang yang tidak diungkapkan pada keluarga Pengalaman perang mendedahkan kanak-kanak kepada risiko tinggi dalam pembentukan masalah emosi dan kelakuan. Bayangkan, kanak-kanak akan rasa bimbang, terancam dan berisiko. Tetapi, ada berita baik. Mutu penjagaan yang kanak-kanak terima dari keluarga mereka boleh memberi kesan yang lebih baik bagi kesejahteraan mereka dari pengalaman sebenar perang yang mereka terdedah. Jadi sebenarnya, kanak-kanak boleh dilindungi dengan kasih sayang dan perlindungan ibu bapa semasa dan selepas konflik.
In 2011, I was a first-year PhD student in the University of Manchester School of Psychological Sciences. Like many of you here, I watched the crisis in Syria unfold in front of me on the TV. My family is originally from Syria, and very early on, I lost several family members in really horrifying ways. I'd sit and I'd gather with my family and watch the TV. We've all seen those scenes: bombs destroying buildings, chaos, destruction and people screaming and running. It was always the people screaming and running that really got me the most, especially those terrified-looking children. I was a mother to two young, typically inquisitive children. They were five and six then, at an age where they typically asked lots and lots of questions, and expected real, convincing answers. So, I began to wonder what it might be like to parent my children in a war zone and a refugee camp. Would my children change? Would my daughter's bright, happy eyes lose their shine? Would my son's really relaxed and carefree nature become fearful and withdrawn? How would I cope? Would I change?
Pada 2011, saya seorang pelajar PhD tahun pertama. di Universiti Manchester Sekolah Sains Psikologi. Seperti anda semua di sini, Saya menyaksikan krisis Syria di TV. Keluarga saya berasal dari Syria. dan sejak peringkat awal, Saya hilang beberapa ahli keluarga dengan cara yang menyayat hati Saya bersama-sama keluarga saya menonton TV. Kami saksikan semua kejadian: bom memusnahkan bangunan, kucar-kacir, kehancuran dan orang ramai berteriak dan berlari. Suasana orang berteriak dan berlari benar-benar menyedihkan saya. terutama wajah kanak-kanak yang ketakutan. Saya ibu kepada dua orang anak kecil yang gemar bertanya Masa itu, mereka berumur lima dan enam tahun, pada umur yang biasanya mereka bertanya bermacam soalan, dan mahu jawapan yang benar dan menyakinkan. Jadi, saya mula terfikir bagaimana keadaannya saya menjaga anak-anak di zon perang dan kem pelarian. Adakah anak saya akan berubah? Adakah sinar pada wajah anak saya akan jadi kelam? Adakah sikap anak lelaki saya yang santai dan bebas akan menjadi ketakutan? Bagaimana saya menanganinya? Adakah saya akan berubah?
As psychologists and parent trainers, we know that arming parents with skills in caring for their children can have a huge effect on their well-being, and we call this parent training. The question I had was, could parent training programs be useful for families while they were still in war zones or refugee camps? Could we reach them with advice or training that would help them through these struggles? So I approached my PhD supervisor, Professor Rachel Calam, with the idea of using my academic skills to make some change in the real world. I wasn't quite sure what exactly I wanted to do. She listened carefully and patiently, and then to my joy she said, "If that's what you want to do, and it means so much to you, then let's do it. Let's find ways to see if parent programs can be useful for families in these contexts."
Sebagai ahli psikologi dan jurulatih ibu bapa, kita tahu memberikan ibu bapa kemahiran menjaga anak mereka ada kesan yang besar pada kesejahteraan mereka, dan kita panggil sebagai latihan ibu bapa. Persoalan saya ialah, adakah program latihan ibu bapa berguna kepada keluarga yang berada dalam zon perang atau kem pelarian? Bolehkah kita dampingi dengan nasihat atau latihan? yang membantu mereka melalui kesukaran ini? Jadi saya bertemu penyelia PhD saya, Profesor Rachel Calam, untuk gunakan kemahiran akademik saya untuk mengubah dunia. Saya tidak pasti apa yang saya mahu lakukan. Beliau mendengar dengan teliti dan sabar. tiba-tiba beliau berkata, "Jika anda mahu lakukannya, dan ia amat bermakna kepada anda, lakukanlah. Mari cari jalan jika program ibu bapa berguna untuk keluarga dalam konteks itu."
So for the past five years, myself and my colleagues -- Prof. Calam and Dr. Kim Cartwright -- have been working on ways to support families that have experienced war and displacement. Now, to know how to help families that have been through conflict support their children, the first step must obviously be to ask them what they're struggling with, right? I mean, it seems obvious. But it's often those that are the most vulnerable, that we're trying to support, that we actually don't ask. How many times have we just assumed we know exactly the right thing that's going to help someone or something without actually asking them first?
Sejak lima tahun lalu, saya dan rakan kerja saya, Prof. Calam dan Dr. Kim Cartwright, berusaha bagamana untuk menyokong keluarga yang pernah mengalami perang dan penghijrahan. Untuk tahu cara membantu keluarga yang telah melalui konflik membantu anak-anak mereka, langkah pertama tentunya tanyakan mereka masalah yang dihadapi, betul, kan? Maksud saya, ia jelas. Tetapi biasanya, golongan yang paling lemah, itulah yang kita cuba sokong, tetapi sebenarnya mereka yang tidak ditanya. Berapa kerap kita andaikan kita tahu perkara yang betul untuk membantu seseorang atau sesuatu tanpa bertanya lebih dahulu?
So I travelled to refugee camps in Syria and in Turkey, and I sat with families, and I listened. I listened to their parenting challenges, I listened to their parenting struggles and I listened to their call for help. And sometimes that was just paused, as all I could do was hold hands with them and just join them in silent crying and prayer. They told me about their struggles, they told me about the rough, harsh refugee camp conditions that made it hard to focus on anything but practical chores like collecting clean water. They told me how they watched their children withdraw; the sadness, depression, anger, bed-wetting, thumb-sucking, fear of loud noises, fear of nightmares -- terrifying, terrifying nightmares. These families had been through what we had been watching on the TV. The mothers -- almost half of them were now widows of war, or didn't even know if their husbands were dead or alive -- described how they felt they were coping so badly. They watched their children change and they had no idea how to help them. They didn't know how to answer their children's questions.
Jadi, saya kunjungi kem pelarian di Syria dan Turki, dan duduk bersama mereka sekeluarga dan mendengar. Saya mendengar cabaran sebagai ibu bapa, saya mendengar kesukaran sebagai ibu bapa dan saya dengar laungan mereka untuk bantuan. Adakalanya, kami hanya terdiam, apa saya boleh buat hanya genggam tangan bersama mereka, menangis dan berdoa. Mereka beritahu saya mengenai perjuangan mereka, mereka beritahu saya keadaan kem pelarian yang sukar, tidak boleh fokus melainkan tugasan yang penting seperti mengambil air bersih. Mereka beritahu bagaimana anak-anak mereka berubah; kesedihan, kemurungan, kemarahan, kencing malam, menghisap jari, takut bunyi bising, takut mimpi ngeri - mimpi yang sangat, sangat mengerikan. Keluarga-keluarga ini telah mengalami apa yang kita saksikan di TV. Ibu-ibu, hampir separuh mereka kini janda-janda perang atau tidak tahu jika suami mereka mati atau hidup, menceritakan kesukaran menghadapi keadaan ini. Mereka saksikan anak mereka berubah tetapi tidak tahu cara membantu mereka. Mereka tidak tahu menjawab soalan anak-anak mereka.
What I found incredibly astonishing and so motivational was that these families were so motivated to support their children. Despite all these challenges they faced, they were trying to help their children. They were making attempts at seeking support from NGO workers, from refugee camp teachers, professional medics, other parents. One mother I met had only been in a camp for four days, and had already made two attempts at seeking support for her eight-year-old daughter who was having terrifying nightmares. But sadly, these attempts are almost always useless. Refugee camp doctors, when available, are almost always too busy, or don't have the knowledge or the time for basic parenting supports. Refugee camp teachers and other parents are just like them -- part of a new refugee community who's struggling with new needs.
Apa yang saya dapati begitu menakjubkan dan memberangsangkan adalah keluarga ini sungguh terdorong untuk membantu anak-anak mereka. Walau berdepan dengan cabaran ini, mereka cuba membantu anak-anak mereka. Mereka cuba mendapatkan sokongan pekerja NGO, dari guru-guru kem pelarian, pakar perubatan profesional ibu bapa yang lain. Seorang ibu yang saya temui baru empat hari berada di kem dan sudah membuat dua percubaan untuk dapatkan bantuan bagi anaknya berumur lapan tahun yang mengalami mimpi yang mengerikan. Malangnya, percubaannya selalunya tidak berhasil. Doktor kem pelarian, jika ada, selalu terlalu sibuk atau tidak ada pengetahuan atau masa untuk bantuan asas ibu bapa. Guru kem pelarian dan ibu bapa lain sama seperti mereka, masyarakat pelarian yang baru yang terpaksa memenuhi keperluan baru.
So then we began to think. How could we help these families? The families were struggling with things much bigger than they could cope with. The Syrian crisis made it clear how incredibly impossible it would be to reach families on an individual level. How else could we help them? How would we reach families at a population level and low costs in these terrifying, terrifying times?
Jadi, kita mula berfikir. Bagaimana boleh kita membantu keluarga ini? Keluarga ini bergelut dengan masalah lebih besar dari yang mampu ditangani. Krisis Syria jelas membuktikan amat mustahil untuk dapat membantu keluarga secara individu. Apakah cara lain yang boleh kita bantu mereka? Bagaiaman boleh kita dekati keluarga secara ramai dan rendah kos dalam masa yang menakutkan ini?
After hours of speaking to NGO workers, one suggested a fantastic innovative idea of distributing parenting information leaflets via bread wrappers -- bread wrappers that were being delivered to families in a conflict zone in Syria by humanitarian workers. So that's what we did. The bread wrappers haven't changed at all in their appearance, except for the addition of two pieces of paper. One was a parenting information leaflet that had basic advice and information that normalized to the parent what they might be experiencing, and what their child might be experiencing. And information on how they could support themselves and their children, such as information like spending time talking to your child, showing them more affection, being more patient with your child, talking to your children. The other piece of paper was a feedback questionnaire, and of course, there was a pen. So is this simply leaflet distribution, or is this actually a possible means of delivering psychological first aid that provides warm, secure, loving parenting?
Selepas berjam-jam berbincang dengan pekerja NGO, seorang mencadangkan satu idea innovatif yang hebat iaitu mengedarkan maklumat keibubapaan melalui bungkusan roti. Bungkusan roti yang diedarkan kepada keluarga di zon konflik Syria oleh para pekerja kemanusiaan. Jadi, itulah yang kami lakukan. Tidak ada apa-apa perubahan pada bungkusan roti itu melainkan ada dua keping kertas yang dilampirkan. Satu ialah risalah keibubapaan yang memberikan maklumat asas mengenai apa yang ibu bapa sedang alami dan apa yang anak mereka mungkin alami. Dan maklumat mengenai cara mereka boleh membantu diri dan anak mereka, seperti meluangkan masa berbual-bual dengan anak mereka, menunjukkan lebih kasih sayang kepada mereka, lebih bersabar terhadap anak anda, berbual dengan anak anda. Kertas yang satu lagi ialah soalan-soalan maklum balas. Dan sudah tentu, disertakan pen. Jadi, adakah ini sekadar pengedaran risalah atau ini sebenarnya satu cara menyebarkan bantuan awal psikologi untuk memberikan sentuhan ibu bapa yang menyayangi, meyakinkan?
We managed to distribute 3,000 of these in just one week. What was incredible was we had a 60 percent response rate. 60 percent of the 3,000 families responded. I don't know how many researchers we have here today, but that kind of response rate is fantastic. To have that in Manchester would be a huge achievement, let alone in a conflict zone in Syria -- really highlighting how important these kinds of messages were to families. I remember how excited and eager we were for the return of the questionnaires. The families had left hundreds of messages -- most incredibly positive and encouraging. But my favorite has got to be, "Thank you for not forgetting about us and our children." This really illustrates the potential means of the delivery of psychological first aid to families, and the return of feedback, too. Just imagine replicating this using other means such as baby milk distribution, or female hygiene kits, or even food baskets.
Kami berjaya mengedarkan 3,000 bungkusan dalam hanya seminggu. Apa yang menakjubkan ialah kami menerima kadar respons 60 peratus. 60 peratus respons daripada 3,000 keluarga. Saya tidak tahu berapa ramai pengkaji yang hadir pada hari ini, tetapi kadar respons seperti itu adalah hebat. Respons seperti itu jika di Manchester adalah satu pencapaian, apa lagi jika di zon konflik di Syria. Ia benar-benar menunjukkan pentingnya mesej ini kepada keluarga. Saya masih ingat, betapa gembira bila menerima maklum balas itu kembali. Keluarga itu meninggalkan ratusan mesej yang kebanyakannya amat positif dan menggalakkan. Tetapi yang paling saya suka ialah "Terima kasih kerana tidak melupakan kami dan anak-anak kami." Ia benar-benar menunjukkan potensi menyebarkan bantuan awal psikologi kepada keluarga dan menerima kembali maklum balas. Bayangkan, menyebarkannya melalui cara yang lain seperti melalui pengedaran susu bayi atau perkakas kebersihan wanita atau dalam bakul makanan.
But let's bring this closer to home, because the refugee crisis is one that is having an effect on every single one of us. We're bombarded with images daily of statistics and of photos, and that's not surprising, because by last month, over one million refugees had reached Europe. One million. Refugees are joining our communities, they're becoming our neighbors, their children are attending our children's schools. So we've adapted the leaflet to meet the needs of European refugees, and we have them online, open-access, in areas with a really high refugee influx. For example, the Swedish healthcare uploaded it onto their website, and within the first 45 minutes, it was downloaded 343 times -- really highlighting how important it is for volunteers, practitioners and other parents to have open-access, psychological first-aid messages.
Mari bicara sesuatu yang hampir dengan kita sebab krisis pelarian ini menjejas setiap kita. Setiap hari kita dihujani dengan statistik dan gambar, dan bukan sesuatu yang menghairankan, sebab sehingga bulan lalu, lebih satu juta pelarian telah sampai di Eropah. Satu juta. Pelarian kini menyertai masyarakat kita, mereka menjadi jiran-jiran kita, anak-anak mereka menghadiri sekolah anak-anak kita. Jadi kami menyesuaikan risalah itu untuk keperluan pelarian Eropah dan ada dalam talian, boleh dibaca oleh sesiapa, di kawasan yang ada jumlah pelarian yang sangat ramai. Contohnya, pihak kesihatan Sweden muat naik di laman web mereka. Dalam masa 45 minit pertama, ia dimuat turun 343 kali... benar-benar menunjukkan betapa penting bagi sukarelawan, pengamal dan ibu bapa yang lain mempunyai mesej bantuan awal psikologi yang mudah dicapai.
In 2013, I was sitting on the cold, hard floor of a refugee camp tent with mothers sitting around me as I was conducting a focus group. Across from me stood an elderly lady with what seemed to be a 13-year-old girl lying beside her, with her head on the elderly lady's knees. The girl stayed quiet throughout the focus group, not talking at all, with her knees curled up against her chest. Towards the end of the focus group, and as I was thanking the mothers for their time, the elderly lady looked at me while pointing at the young girl, and said to me, "Can you help us with...?" Not quite sure what she expected me to do, I looked at the young girl and smiled, and in Arabic I said, "Salaam alaikum. Shu-ismak?" "What's your name?" She looked at me really confused and unengaged, but then said, "Halul." Halul is the pet's name for the Arabic female name, Hala, and is only really used to refer to really young girls. At that point I realized that actually Hala was probably much older than 13. It turns out Hala was a 25-year-old mother to three young children. Hala had been a confident, bright, bubbly, loving, caring mother to her children, but the war had changed all of that. She had lived through bombs being dropped in her town; she had lived through explosions. When fighter jets were flying around their building, dropping bombs, her children would be screaming, terrified from the noise. Hala would frantically grab pillows and cover her children's ears to block out the noise, all the while screaming herself. When they reached the refugee camp and she knew they were finally in some kind of safety, she completely withdrew to acting like her old childhood self. She completely rejected her family -- her children, her husband. Hala simply could no longer cope.
Pada 2013, saya duduk di lantai dingin dalam khemah kem pelarian bersama ibu-ibu sedang saya menjalankan kumpulan fokus. Di depan saya seorang wanita tua berdiri dengan seorang budak perempuan, seperti, berumur 13 tahun berbaring di sebelahnya dengan kepalanya di lutut wanita tua itu. Budak perempuan itu senyap di sepanjang kumpulan fokus, langsung tidak bercakap, dengan lututnya mengerekot di dadanya. Di penghujung kumpulan fokus itu, sedang saya ucap terima kasih kepada ibu-ibu kerana luangkan masa, wanita tua itu memandang saya dan tunjuk ke arah budak itu dan katanya, "Boleh anda bantu saya dengan..?" Tidak pasti apa yang dia mahu saya lakukan. Saya pandang budak perempuan itu dan senyum dan saya berkata dalam bahasa Arab, "Salaam alaikum. Shu-ismak?" "Apa nama awak?" Dia pandang saya, wajahnya begitu keliru dan tidak beri perhatian tetapi berkata, "Halul." Halul ialah nama timangan bagi nama wanita Arab iaitu Hala dan hanya digunakan oleh budak perempuan yang sangat muda. Pada waktu itu, saya sedar Hala sebenarnya lebih dewasa dari 13 tahun. Sebenarnya, Hala berumur 25 tahun dan ibu kepada tiga anak kecil. Hala dahulunya seorang ibu yang yakin diri, bijak, ceria, penyayang kepada anak-anaknya tetapi perang telah mengubah segalanya. Dia mengalami peritiwa bandarnya dibom dari udara, dan pelbagai letupan. Semasa jet pejuang terbang di sekitar bangunannya, melepaskan bom, anak-anaknya berteriak ketakutan dengan bunyi bising. Sambil tidak keruan, Hala mencapai bantal untuk menutup telinga anaknya untuk menghalang bunyi bising dan dia tidak henti memekik. Bila mereka sampai di kem pelarian dan dia tahu akhirnya mereka berada di tempat perlindungan, wataknya langsung berubah dan dia berkelakuan seperti kanak-kanak. Dia langsung tidak mengenali keluarganya, anak-anaknya, suaminya. Hala tidak mampu menanggungnya lagi.
This is a parenting struggle with a really tough ending, but sadly, it's not uncommon. Those who experience armed conflict and displacement will face serious emotional struggles. And that's something we can all relate to. If you have been through a devastating time in your life, if you have lost someone or something you really care about, how would you continue to cope? Could you still be able to care for yourself and for your family?
Inilah yang dihadapi ibu bapa dengan kesudahan yang menyayat hati. Yang sedihnya, ia bukan jarang berlaku. Sesiapa yang melalui konflik bersenjata dan penghijrahan akan menghadapi pergelutan emosi yang serius. Dan itu sesuatu yang kita boleh fahami jika anda pernah melalui detik yang mengecewakan dalam hidup, jika anda pernah kehilangan seseorang atau sesuatu yang anda sayangi, bagaimana anda terus menghadapinya? Bolehkah anda masih menjaga diri dan keluarga anda?
Given that the first years of a child's life are crucial for healthy physical and emotional development, and that 1.5 billion people are experiencing armed conflict -- many of whom are now joining our communities -- we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the needs of those who are experiencing war and displacement. We must prioritize these families' needs -- both those who are internally displaced, and those who are refugees worldwide. These needs must be prioritized by NGO workers, policy makers, the WHO, the UNHCR and every single one of us in whatever capacity it is that we function in our society.
Tahun pertama kanak-kanak adalah penting untuk pembangunan fizikal dan emosi yang sihat. 1.5 bilion orang sedang mengalami konflik bersenjata dan ramai mereka bersama dalam masyarakat kita sekarang. Kita tidak boleh untuk tidak mengendahkan keperluan mereka yang mengalami perang dan penghijrahan. Kita mesti utamakan keperluan keluarga sebegini, bagi yang terpaksa berpindah dalam negara dan pelarian seluruh dunia. Keperluan ini mesti diutamakan oleh pekerja NGO, penggubal dasar, WHO, UNHCR dan setiap kita. dalam apa sahaja peranan yang kita lakukan dalam masyarakat kita.
When we begin to recognize the individual faces of the conflict, when we begin to notice those intricate emotions on their faces, we begin to see them as humans, too. We begin to see the needs of these families, and these are the real human needs. When these family needs are prioritized, interventions for children in humanitarian settings will prioritize and recognize the primary role of the family in supporting children. Family mental health will be shouting loud and clear in global, international agenda. And children will be less likely to enter social service systems in resettlement countries because their families would have had support earlier on. And we will be more open-minded, more welcoming, more caring and more trusting to those who are joining our communities.
Apabila kita mengenali wajah-wajah yang terjejas dengan konflik, apabila kita peduli emosi yang merungsingkan di wajah mereka, kita mula melihat mereka sebagai manusia juga. Kita mula memahami keperluan keluarga-keluarga ini dan inilah keperluan manusia yang sebenar. Apabila keperluan keluarga-keluarga ini diutamakan, bantuan bagi kanak-kanak dalam suasana kemanusiaan akan mengutamakan dan mengakui peranan asas keluarga dalam membantu kanak-kanak. Kesihatan mental keluarga akan menuntut didengari dalam agenda global, antarabangsa. Dan kemungkinan kanak-kanak dalam sistem bantuan sosial akan berkurangan di negara yang mereka hijrah sebab keluarga mereka sudah menerima sokongan sebelum ini. Dan fikiran kita akan lebih terbuka, lebih mengalu-alukan, lebih mengasihani dan lebih mempercayai kepada yang menyertai masyarakat kita.
We need to stop wars. We need to build a world where children can dream of planes dropping gifts, and not bombs. Until we stop armed conflicts raging throughout the world, families will continue to be displaced, leaving children vulnerable. But by improving parenting and caregiver support, it may be possible to weaken the links between war and psychological difficulties in children and their families.
Kita perlu menghentikan peperangan. Kita perlu membina dunia di mana kanak-kanak impikan pesawat yang menebarkan hadiah dan bukannya bom. Sehingga kita hentikan konflik bersenjata yang menghantui dunia, keluarga akan terus terpaksa berhijrah, kanak-kank akan terjejas. Dengan meningkatkan sokongan pada ibu bapa dan pengasuh, maka kaitan di antara perang dan tekanan psikologi boleh dikurangkan pada kanak-kanak dan keluarga mereka.
Thank you.
Terima kasih.
(Applause)
(Tepukan)