The life after war
Stories of children repatriated from armed conflict zones
(Names changed to protect identity)
Thousands of people, including their families, from over 80 countries have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and other terrorist groups designated by the UN. While some family members volunteered to join them, many others were forced, manipulated, or forced to travel with or follow family members. Moreover, thousands of children were born in conflicts in Syria and Iraq to foreign parents.
“My parents opened a sewing factory in Egypt, and my sister and I had the opportunity to attend IT and Arabic language courses. But then dad decided to move to Syria. We lived there for several years until my father died. Life there was terrible. I'm glad we survived ", Rano, 17.
Although many foreign terrorist fighters were killed during the war, large numbers of people, especially women and children, escaped the fighting and were transferred to camps. The situation in the camps is unstable and living conditions are poor. Insecurity and violence exacerbate the vulnerability of the most at-risk groups in the camps. Hundreds of women and children remain in detention in Syria and Iraq.
“I was only one year old when my family followed my brother to Iraq. When my brother and father died in the war, my mother remarried and gave birth to a son. Three years later, my stepfather died, and my mother was imprisoned along with my younger brother", Karima, 17, who was repatriated to Uzbekistan in 2019 and now lives with her aunt and uncle and attends medical college.
Recognizing these problems and following the UN Security Council resolution 2396 of 21 December 2017, the Uzbek government repatriated 531 of its citizens, including 381 children. To provide further assistance to its citizens for safe rehabilitation and reintegration into local communities, UNICEF with the financial support of the EU, launched a project “EU-UN Support to the States in Central Asia for their citizens returned from conflict zones, primarily Syria and Iraq”.
So far, the project has provided various types of assistance to women and children returned from conflict zones with child-friendly and gender-sensitive reintegration. Such support includes individual needs assessments through social workers, support in obtaining documentation, benefits, pensions, soft loans, accessing housing, support with employment and education, and also psychosocial support services.
"I went to the eighth grade and started attending various courses to improve my language skills. I study history, literature, Uzbek and Arabic languages. I have always wanted to go to an Islamic university, so I had to work hard on myself. I studied hard and, with the support of Tashkhis I entered the desired university", Rano, 17.
According to the Republican Center "Tashkhis", a total of 343 children arrived at the center, 153 school-age children, and 193 preschool children. Currently, 161 children are still in the adaptation phase and receive psychosocial support. Unfortunately, 80 percent of children have a low level of education, and 20 percent without any educational attainment. Due to this, individual programs have been developed, where psychologists and school teachers would work with the child.
One of the methods of work of psychologists with children is drawing. Children who returned from armed conflict zones were asked to draw their dreams, the world with their eyes.
Green house
This picture has been drawn by an 11-year-old boy who returned from Syria who has been reintegrated into his family. He is a sociable and talkative boy who finished the 2020/2021 academic year with good results. He plays football and dreams of becoming an athlete. He drew a greenhouse surrounded by mountains and nature as he looks forward to spring.
Apple tree
This picture has been drawn by a 7-year-old boy, a first-grade graduate, who has been returned from Syria and reintegrated with extended family. He is a very curious boy, who gets impressed by everything he sees. He successfully completed the 2020/2021 academic year as he had received additional courses to help him catch up.
Minaret
This picture has been drawn by a 10-year-old boy who has been returned from Syria. He is a bit shy and withdrawn person, but he studies well and is well-liked by his peers. His rich imagination helps him to create a world in which he feels comfortable and finds peace of mind. The boy lives with his family. His reintegration is going well. He is mastering all types of activities successfully.
Butterflies
This picture has been drawn by a 12-year-old girl who returned from Syria and reintegrated with her family. She is a very diligent and cheerful student who completed the 2020/2021 academic year and is now developing her communication skills by actively participating in the life of the class. She thinks a lot, dreams, and adores everything beautiful. The girl is always happy with her successes and loves to communicate and amuse others.
When determining the education level of the child, the Ministry of Public Education tries to place children in grades according to their age, despite lower levels of educational attainment, to ease the reintegration process, including interactions with peers. The main goal is to teach the child communication skills, interaction with classmates and teachers, and life skills.
The toughest thing for children is to cope with the death of loved ones, experience violence, grief, fears, and other mental trauma. Some children develop emotional and behavioral problems, mental disorders, including post-traumatic disorders, depression, and anxiety. And in this case, they need a special approach.
“I was shocked by the fate of my mother and brother. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I had nightmares every day, and I could not sleep. I couldn't forget the past, my memories didn’t leave me alone”, Karima, 17.
Currently, in the frame of the project, professionals working in the child protection sector in Uzbekistan are attending training to learn how to work with families and provide quality assistance to children and families, returning from conflict zones. Republican Center "Tashkhis" currently assists in the creation of support centers in ten secondary schools, which are attended also by children returned from conflict zones. In the centers, children of different ages will be able to receive psychological assistance, improve their life skills, and better adapt to the local community. Parents and caregivers of these children will also be able to get support in keeping their mental health and in parenting.
