The Mandaeans
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october 2017 A Publication of the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors Issue 32 The A Dancer in the Mandaeans Midst of War A Story of Survival in the Modern World pg. 40 pg. 4 My Time at the UNHCR pg. 69 FASSTT Conference pg. 20 ISSUE 32 • JULY 2017 JULY CEO’s Message Refugee Transitions exists to report on a wide range of refugee and human rights issues of relevance to Welcome to the 32nd Issue the work of STARTTS; to focus attention on the of Refugee Transitions, impact of organised violence and human rights abuses The period since the last edition has been one of the most to fit these contexts has been widely recognized as a critical on health; to provide ideas on intervention models demanding and busy periods for STARTTS. It has also been ingredient in rehabilitation and indeed, it is regarded as one that address the health and social needs of refugees, a fascinating and inspiring journey, in which STARTTS of the pillars of our own work at STARTTS. to debate and campaign for changes necessary played a key role in assisting a record number of refugees The implementation of this principle across the many to assist refugee communities in their settlement from Syria and Iraq settle in NSW, by supporting them in IRCT centres around the world has given rise to a plethora process and ultimately bring together a vehicle for their journey of recovery from their traumatic experiences. of interventions, ranging from adaptations of well-known personal expression. Australia’s effort in this regards has been outstanding, as has psychotherapeutic approaches, to interventions designed to been the coordination provided by the NSW effort under assist whole communities that have been systematically Refugee Transitions is published biannually by the the guidance of professor Peter Shergold who was enslaved and mistreated for over a decade, as well as NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation commissioned by Premiers Mike Baird and Gladys Berejiklian, interventions that combine recovery goals with torture of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) to ensure services were well planned and resourced. prevention goals. Address Sadly, this best practice model in assisting refugees is The result of this work is best measured in the intangible PO Box 203 Fairfield NSW 2165 somewhat exceptional in today’s world. value of life and dignity regained, but it also has huge Every day, more people are tortured around the world. economic, social and population health implications, not to Tel: (02) 9794 1900 It happens in the context of political or religious repression, mention the value of prevention itself. Ensuring the ongoing criminal investigations, war, and in a myriad other specific sustainability of torture and trauma services around the world ISN 14416247 situations. This is not a new trend, yet there are worrying is one of the key challenges faced by the IRCT movement, Editor signs that in a world where many leaders of democracies and will likely need a more active participation and support Olga Yoldi seem to focus inwards, this trend may be deepening, even in from a larger number of people around the world that oppose countries where substantial progress was made until a few torture and support the right to rehabilitation for victims. I Associate Editors years ago. promise you will hear more about this soon. Richard Walker Many victims of torture don’t survive, but those that do In addition to exploring the above issues further through Quentin Lambert face an uphill battle rebuilding their lives after their ordeal. two in-depth interviews, we take a look at the refugee The availability of services to assist in this process can be a experience from a dancer’s perspective, examine the interface Sub-editors crucial factor in this struggle. Unfortunately, there is also a between culture and perinatal issues, provide a perspective Mark Symonds, John Hampshire, Peter Bartlett worrying trend affecting the availability of such services. The on the settlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq, provide Contributing Authors same drivers that seem to be making torture more permissible an introduction to the amazing history and current challenges in many places are also resulting in less funds being available of the Mandaean community, follow some young refugees Lachlan Murdoch, Derrick Silove, Dunja Karagic, to assist victims of torture heal and rebuild their lives. This experience with the UNHCR in Geneva, and explore the Shaun Nemorin, Virginia Lee, Quentin Lambert, affects the capacity to sustain existing services, and develop current situation in terms of therapeutic approaches to address Gabriela Salabert, Naomi Halpern, Sarah Yahya new services in places where they are needed. Even as we the impact of torture… and much more. Art Direction speak, several services around the world are facing a very real Whale Design Co. and pressing prospect of having to shut down due to a lack I hope you enjoy this edition of RT! of funds, and many more have resorted to limited services Cover Image fully manned by volunteers. Members of the Sabean Mandaeans on the banks of Assuming the role of president of the International All the best, the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra, southeast of Rehabilitation Council of Services for Torture Victims Baghdad, Iraq. May 2015. Nabil al-Jurani / AP Photo (IRCT) has been an enormous privilege, which has provided me with the opportunity to become better acquainted with the amazing work that is being carried out by the more than Opinions expressed in Refugee Transitions are those 150 services that are part of the IRCT, often under incredibly difficult conditions. of the authors and not necessarily the official views of Understanding the circumstances in which torture took Jorge Aroche STARTTS. No material may be reproduced in part or place and the context of recovery, and adapting interventions Chief Executive Officer / STARTTS in whole without written consent from STARTTS © 2017 STARTTS. Contents MODERN CONFLICTS 04 The Mandaeans: A Story of Survival in the Modern World Olga Yoldi HUMAN RIGHTS 20 Refugee Trauma Recovery in Resettlement Conference Olga Yoldi 62 International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Conference Shaun Nemorin 64 The IRCT Elects a New President Olga Yoldi HEALTH 12 The Quest for Better Health Care Olga Yoldi 28 Complex Refugee Trauma and Dissociation: Reintegrating Lost Parts of Oneself Naomi Halpern 34 Effective Interventions and Models for Refugee Trauma Prof Derrick Silove 46 Therapy and Cross-Cultural Experiences Virginia Lee 52 Perinatal Experiences in a Foreign Land Gabriela Salabert AGENDA 24 From Syria to Australia Lachlan Murdoch PHOTO: ANGELA O’CONNELL 40 A Dancer in the Midst of War Dunja Karagic 69 My Time at the UNHCR Shaun Nemorin 77 Young Refugee Rises to Geneva Challenge Sarah Yahya 80 Travels in India Dunja Karagic The Mandaeans A Story of Survival in the Modern World PHOTO: DAVID MAURICE SMITH / OCULI refugees and spoken to immigration officials in Aus- The Mandaeans appear to be one of the most tralian embassies and international NGOs about their misunderstood and vulnerable groups. Apart from being desperate plight. She laments that the conditions in a small community, even fewer than Yazidis, they do which they live are far worse than she could have ever not belong to a large religious organisation or have imagined, and she fears they may have been forgotten links with powerful tribes that can protect them, so by the international community overwhelmed by the their vulnerability makes them an easy target. To make massive displacement and the humanitarian disaster matters worse they are scattered all over the country, caused by the Syrian civil war. so they are the only minority group in Iraq without a There is no doubt that more of a decade of sectarian safe enclave. If the violence persists, it is feared their infighting has had a devastating impact on Iraqi society ancient culture and religion will be lost forever. as a whole. But religious minority groups have borne the brunt of the violence. For the past 14 years Mand- andaeans have a long history of per- aeans, like many other minorities, have been subjected secution. Their survival into the modern to persecution, murder, kidnappings, displacement, world is little short of a miracle. Their forced conversion to Islam, forced marriage, cruel M origins can be traced to the Jordan treatment, confiscation of assets including property and Valley area and it is thought that they may have migrated the destruction of their cultural and religious heritage. to Mesopotamia in the 3rd century CE. So for two Before the US invasion there were an estimated 60,000 millennia they have been part of the rich mosaic of Mandaeans in Iraq. Today fewer than 5,000 remain. peoples who have inhabited the lands that today are According to the report No Way Home: Iraq’s Iraq and Iran. minorities on the verge of disappearance, published in Mandaeans witnessed the rise of Christianity and 2016 by the Minority Rights Group International, the Islam. They survived the Mongol massacres, attacks by Christian population has also dropped from 1.4 million Arab tribes, the arrival of Europeans and the brutal PHOTO: ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO / AP PHOTO before 2003 to fewer than 250,000. In Baghdad, only reign of Saddam Hussein. According to historians, they 15 per cent of the Christian population remain. Other did so by keeping to themselves and, when necessary, minority groups, such as the Yazidi, Kaka’i, Turkemen camouflaging themselves within surrounding religions. and Shabak, have also suffered greatly when they were “The complete portrait of Mandaean history through driven from their lands in the north by Islamic State. the centuries is impossible to acquire, but glimpses The report blames not only Islamic State but also the appear here and there,” wrote an internationally MODERN CONFLICTS n a small office at the STARTTS headquarters forces fighting it – Iraqi security forces, popular recognised specialist on the Mandaean religion, Jorunn in the Western Sydney suburb of Carramar, mobilisation units including unscrupulous militia J.