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Philippines and conflict: Debriefing women and children about psychological anxiety |
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News
On 3 November 2008, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM) of the Philippines conducted a stress debriefing session for approximately 1,000 internally displaced (IDP) women and children affected by the current conflict between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Maguindanao province.
The women and children that went through the debriefing came from evacuation centers from the municipalities of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi Ampatuan. The stress debriefing is one of several measures the DSWD-ARMM agency has undertaken to assist the needs of internally displaced in the Southern part of the Philippines. Those living in conflict-affected areas are not only in danger of physical harm but also psychological anxiety.
During the debriefing session women and children expressed their feelings, thoughts and experiences about the conflict. Children engaged in drawing activities as a means to express their emotions. DSWD-ARMM distributed clothing, canned goods, rice and a stipend of approximately US$ 2. In addition, the agency created different committees among the evacuees in preparation for the establishment of soup kitchens in evacuation centers.
The current conflict has displaced approximately 390,000 people in the Southern Philippines. Fighting erupted when the Philippine Supreme Court ruled that a draft agreement between the MILF and the Philippine government as unconstitutional.
The agreement is a culmination of 11 years of negotiation between the MILF and the Philippine government. Officially titled Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA), it originally had a signing date of 5 August of this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The MOA includes agreements on ancestral land and territories to be ruled by a new governing system under the direction of a new Muslim autonomous region. The Supreme Court ruling came as a result of local leaders (largely part of the Christian majority) whose territories were to be annexed under the new agreement, raised concerns that they were not consulted during the creation of the MOA.
Read International Crisis Group’s assessment of the conflict
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