Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Sophie Cousins
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The Middle East and North Africa suffer the world's highest depression rates, according to new research.
The study, recently published in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) Journal of Medicine, found that globally, the prevalence of depression was 4.4 per cent, while Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories were amongst the most depressed states. According to the research, depressive orders are second only to lower respiratory...
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Thousands of Syrian children forced into Jordan's labour market
Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled the crisis in their war-ravaged homeland, leaving behind family, friends and their livelihoods. Escaping with little more than the clothes on their back and the memories of what they’re leaving behind, they have no option but to create new lives for...
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Medical professionals in Syria demand neutrality for hospitals, ambulances and patients
More than 50 doctors and health professionals have demanded that the Syrian government and all armed groups in the country respect the neutrality of hospitals, ambulances and patients, and refrain from attacking them. The open letter warned that Syria’s healthcare system is at “breaking point” and demanded that medical...
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Palestinian refugees from Syria face a mountain of challenges in Lebanon
Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) are arguably the most vulnerable sub-population affected by the Syrian crisis. Having been uprooted twice from their homes, those now in Lebanon face a myriad of additional challenges. They have fewer legal protections than other communities, few employment opportunities and largely reside in the...
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Amidst Syrian refugees, domestic violence grows
“Any time someone comes to engage me, I am beaten. All the men look at me and my brother thinks I have had sexual relations with them. No one has told him to stop”. The sixteen-year-old Palestinian refugee from Syria, who could not be named for security reasons, fled...
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Former motel plays key role in rehabilitation of wounded fighters
In a small motel room in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli, within sight of the mountains of Syria, a former Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighter sits with his legs crossed on his single bed, his urine drainage bag on the floor. This is no ordinary motel room; it...
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In Bab al-Hawa Hospital, doctors are dealing with injuries they only read about
Today, they said, was a “quiet day”. There was a child with shrapnel wedged in her neck, a man in the ICU with amputated limbs and an FSA fighter with gunshot wounds to his leg. The emergency room was filled with patients, and relatives searching for loved ones. The...