Interogating Refugee Rights to Health: a Case of Psychological Health of Refugee Children in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of this research project was to assess the psychological health of refugee children in Kakuma refugee camp. A refugee child is still a child with all protection needs for his growth and wellbeing. The study examined the risk factors that affected their psychological health and the psychosocial interventions that were suitable to give support to these vulnerable children. War and displacement have been observed to cause psychosocial problems and distress to refugee children. The study was focused on assessing the risk factors and possible interventions in addressing trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Refugee children need special care and legal protection. They should be accorded similar treatment as any other citizen child. Children are entitled to dignity and respect regardless of race, age, and social status. However, most of the children remain invisible in society yet they need special protection and assistance. They have rights to health and wellbeing, personal life and development, protection and safety, and normal family life just like anyone else. Children react differently from the stressful and traumatic events they encounter during the transition. For some, their psychological health is affected. This, in turn, affects their psychosocial development that is their mental, social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Using social exclusion and social constructivism approaches, the study aimed to problematize the psychological health of refugee children in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Various interventions have been proposed to assist and protect refugee children’s psychological health. These are community support interventions, incorporation of psychosocial support in both formal and informal education systems for refugee children in camps, offering counseling services and training for teachers, parents, and the children themselves. A more important intervention is individualized care, realizing that every child has different experiences and are affected differently. Some children experience their journey from conflict or persecution through to safety into a different host country with different cultures and environments. Others are born into refugee situations and grow up in refugee camps. The study adopted a descriptive research design in which both primary and secondary data was collected and analyzed in the context of refugee children's psychological and psychosocial health and how this facilitates the full realization of refugee children’s right to health. Primary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and face to face interviews with various child protection stakeholders. The findings indicated that refugee children observed in schools experienced trauma and stress disorders due to their refugee experiences and daily stressors in the camp. This was exhibited by social withdrawal, depression, and other behaviors. As much as access to health is free, there is more to be done through holistic psychosocial interventions. The study recommended that refugee children’s psychological health needs more attention, early childhood education teacher training, community-based approaches, sensitization, more pediatric counselors, and the creation of safe spaces for refugee children in Kakuma.