Background The often-precarious life circumstances of undocumented migrants are likely to heighte... more Background The often-precarious life circumstances of undocumented migrants are likely to heighten the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives. Given the paucity of research exploring how undocumented migrants are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we set out to explore the association between being an undocumented migrant and a range of social and mental health measures. Methods Our study draws on three complementary surveys conducted among migrants in France between April 1st and June 7th 2020 (APART TOGETHER, MAKASI, ECHO; n = 716). We tested associations between eight outcome measures, covering health literacy, prevention behaviours, perceptions of government responses, livelihoods and mental health (PHQ-9 score), and the participants' legal status as either undocumented or documented. We modelled the probability of food insecurity increase, job loss, depression, and responses to SARS-COV-2 symptoms with logistic regression models, adjusted for age, gender...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The COVID-19 pandemic is a defining global health crisis of our time. While the impact of COVID-1... more The COVID-19 pandemic is a defining global health crisis of our time. While the impact of COVID-19, including its mental health impact, is increasingly being documented, there remain important gaps regarding the specific consequences of the pandemic on particular population groups, including refugees and migrants. This study aims to uncover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of refugees and migrants worldwide, disentangling the possible role of social and daily stressors, i.e., experiences of discrimination and daily living conditions. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the responses of N = 20,742 refugees and migrants on the self-reporting global ApartTogether survey. Survey findings indicated that the mental health of refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly impacted, particularly for certain subgroups, (i.e., insecure housing situation and residence status, older respondents, and females) wh...
Background Schools are considered as natural environments to enhance students’ social-emotional s... more Background Schools are considered as natural environments to enhance students’ social-emotional skills in general and mental health and affiliation among students with refugee and immigrant background. A layered or tiered provision of services are recommended as they can be effective to meet the needs of war-affected adolescents’ who variably show posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study tests the effectiveness of multi-layered interventions integrating targeted cognitive-behavioral treatment-based TRT (Teaching Recovery Techniques), a class-room focused preventive intervention PIER (Peer Integration and Enhancement Resources), and a whole school psychoeducative teacher-led intervention INSETT (In Service Teacher Training) in enhancing the wellbeing of children in their school environments. We analyze first, whether the interventions are effective in decreasing symptoms of PTSD and psychological distress and increasing positive resources i.e. prosocial behavior and re...
: Ukraine is usually portrayed as a cleft country with a determining internal East–West divide. H... more : Ukraine is usually portrayed as a cleft country with a determining internal East–West divide. However, critical researchers in Ukrainian scholarship emphasize that the East–West paradigm fails to adequately reflect the complex reality of the Ukrainian society and its historical, linguistic, economic, and political mixture. This article deconstructs the origins and evolution of the eastern and western Ukrainian identities and argues that the current clash between the two regions should not be explained by linguistic and ethnic differences, geopolitical strategies, economic interests, or political gains but rather by symbolic geographies, historical myths, and political imaginations. As a consequence, Ukraine is unable to make clear choices about its geopolitical future and remains a liminal space of east and west, where the broader EU-centered and Russia-centered regions overlap.Resumen: Ucrania suele ser retratada como un país caracterizado por una división interna determinante entre el este y el oeste. Sin embargo, algunos investigadores critican este paradigma Este-Oeste, que no refleja la compleja realidad de la sociedad ucraniana y su mezcla histórica, lingüística, económica y política. En este artículo se deconstruyen los orígenes y la evolución de las identidades ucranianas orientales y occidentales y se argumenta que el actual choque entre las dos regiones debería explicarse por el nuevo enfoque de geografías simbólicas, mitos históricos e imaginaciones políticas. En caso contrario, Ucrania no puede tomar decisiones claras sobre su futuro geopolítico y sigue siendo un espacio liminal de este y oeste, donde se superponen las regiones más amplias centradas en la UE y en Rusia, respectivamente.Résumé: L’Ukraine est généralement présentée comme un pays avec une division interne Est-Ouest déterminante. Cependant, des chercheurs ukrainiens critiquent ce paradigme Est-Ouest, qui ne reflèterait pas la réalité complexe de la société ukrainienne ni son mélange historique, linguistique, économique et politique. Cet article déconstruit les origines et l’évolution des identités ukrainiennes orientales et occidentales et soutient que le conflit qui les oppose actuellement devrait être expliqué par la nouvelle approche des géographies symboliques, des mythes historiques et des imaginations politiques. A défaut, l’Ukraine est incapable de faire des choix clairs quant à son avenir géopolitique et reste un espace liminaire entre l’Est et l’Ouest, où les régions plus larges centrées sur l’UE et la Russie se chevauchent.
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research
Kalema, D., Vanderplasschen, W., Vindevogel, S., Baguma, P., & Derluyn, I. (2017). Treatment chal... more Kalema, D., Vanderplasschen, W., Vindevogel, S., Baguma, P., & Derluyn, I. (2017). Treatment challenges for alcohol service users in Kampala, Uganda. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 6(1), 27-35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v6i1.240Background and Aims: Enhancing treatment participation of persons with substance use disorders is a challenge worldwide. Obstacles keeping people from entering or continuing treatment are well documented in Western countries, but such knowledge is scarce in majority countries that face particular challenges when implementing alcohol policies. This study aimed at identifying factors challenging treatment participation in Uganda, a Sub-Saharan country with a considerable alcohol problem.Methods: Data were collected during 30 in-depth, qualitative interviews on treatment challenges with 20 service providers and 10 male service users, who were recruited at one public and one private alcohol treatment center in the Ugandan capita...
Background: As many refugee minors have gone/go through stressful life experiences and uncertaint... more Background: As many refugee minors have gone/go through stressful life experiences and uncertainty, one might expect mental health issues, including self-injury. However, literature on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in refugee minors is scarce. This study explores the prevalence, methods, and functions of NSSI in refugee minors in Belgium, and compares research results to the existing literature on NSSI in Western adolescents. Methods: Data were obtained from 121 refugee minors (mean age = 16.12, SD = 1.23; range 14-18 years) through schools located in the Flemish and Brussels-Capital regions of Belgium. The sample consists of 39.7% girls and 60.3% boys. Self-report questionnaires were used to explore socioeconomic data, NSSI behaviour (e.g. The Brief Non-Suicidal Self-injury Assessment Tool; BNNSI-AT) and emotional and behavioural difficulties (The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ). Non-parametric Chi square tests were used for statistical comparisons of the obtained data as well as independent-sample t-tests and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Results show a lifetime NSSI prevalence rate of 17.4%. Being accompanied or not, having both parents around, or living in an asylum centre did not influence NSSI prevalence. An average of 2.65 methods of NSSI was applied (SD = 2.50; range 1-9). The mean number of functions per person was six (SD = 4.97, range 0-16), with automatic functions reported the most. The data do point towards a greater psychological strain, with 68.4% reporting more than five acts of NSSI. Results of the SDQ's Total Difficulties Scale and, more specifically, of the Emotional Problems, Conduct Problems, Peer Problems and Impact Scales indicate a substantial risk of clinically significant problems within the NSSI group. The Peer Problems and Impact Scales also point towards a high risk for suicidality amongst self-injuring refugees. Conclusions: Prevalence rates, methods and functions are comparable to Western samples. However, the higher incidence of the NSSI and the results on the SDQ also emphasise the vulnerability of refugee minors.
Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how Eric Broekaert perceived “Ortho-pedagogy” ... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how Eric Broekaert perceived “Ortho-pedagogy” as an academic discipline. Design/methodology/approach The authors try to get a grasp on Broekaert’s point of view while cross-reading three central articles in which he explains his integrated and holistic paradigm of education. Findings One could argue that, while claiming that the different epistemological, ontological and methodological approaches underlying Eric Broekaert’s paradigm of holistic education are not easily integrated, the potential paradoxes he produced in this claim also enabled a “choc des idées” and challenged and enlightened a wide diversity of researchers and practitioners in taking a partial, locatable, critical, reflexive and temporary stance in educational praxis (Lather, 1991). Originality/value The authors discuss how Broekaert, as a companion in life, enabled them to cautiously embrace tensions, paradoxes and complexities in the development of an educational ...
During the last decade, irregular border crossings emerged as a new element in international migr... more During the last decade, irregular border crossings emerged as a new element in international migratory flows, with smuggling and trafficking networks being an essential part. Many people are compelled to use these networks to realize their dream of a better living, and for many this "promised land" is the United Kingdom (UK). Belgium has important sea connections with the UK, and is, therefore, an important migration transit zone, although many migrants are intercepted on Belgian territory during their attempt to reach the UK. Some are unaccompanied or separated children and adolescents, minors travelling without parent(s) or a legal caregiver. This study aims to gain insight about this population of unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK. We use the situation in Zeebrugge, one of Belgium's main ports, as a case study. Almost all unaccompanied minors are convinced they want to reach the UK to create a better livelihood, join a family member, or escape a difficult political situation. Nevertheless, most travel in difficult circumstances; are scared; and lack essential information about life in the UK, their possibilities in Belgium, what will happen if they are transferred to a centre, and so forth. Most minors also do not want to be transferred to a centre, and manyalthough not all-disappear again from the centres. This study has several implications concerning the kind of decisions taken by the legal authorities, the necessary physical and psycho-social care and the availability of an interpreter and social worker during the interception, the number of reception places and the care in these centres, and the tasks of the legal guardian. Finally, some limitations of the study are mentioned.
declared greater. In later verses, followers of Islam were forbidden to attend prayer while intox... more declared greater. In later verses, followers of Islam were forbidden to attend prayer while intoxicated, and finally drinking was declared to be a Satanic act and was thus totally forbidden [11]. Currently, in some MMCs where Islamic law is practised, people abstain from alcohol, not only because it is illegal but also because of the guilt they experience if they do drink. This is not so apparent in other MMCs where Islamic law has not been adopted. Thus, Islamic faith in forbidding drinking appears to prevent much of the harm that globalization by the alcohol industry generates [12]. The future The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the total ban on alcohol advertising [13], but more education of the public and others into the subtle influence of advertising on drinking (in spite of its being illegal) is required. Marketing is global, and therefore measures to reduce the harm caused by alcohol should be global, with attention paid to the areas of trading and marketing we have summarized. Further attention should be paid to the issues by public health physicians, academics, religious leaders, governments and political party leaders. Alcohol policies should respect Sharia teaching and, at the same time, take into account the culture of immigrant workers and visitors to Muslim countries, as well as 21st-century economic development. Research into the extent of alcohol consumption is necessary. However, because of their illegal status most sales and consumption of alcohol are unrecorded. Intensified efforts towards collecting data should be made, with the indirect methods used in research into illicit drugtaking among hard-to-reach populations [14] applied.
Background: Worldwide, thousands of children are acting in different roles in armed groups. Where... more Background: Worldwide, thousands of children are acting in different roles in armed groups. Whereas human rights activism and humanitarian imperatives tend to emphasize the image of child soldiers as incapable victims of adults' abusive compulsion, this image does not fully correspond with prevailing pedagogical and jurisprudential discourses, nor does it represent all child soldiers' own perceptions of their role. Moreover, contemporary warfare is often marked by fuzzy distinctions between perpetrators and victims. This article deepens on the question how to conceptualize the victim-perpetrator imaginary about child soldiers, starting from three disciplines, children's rights law, psychosocial approaches and transitional justice, and then proceeding into an interdisciplinary approach. Discussion: We argue that the victim-perpetrator dichotomy in relation to child soldiers needs to be revisited, and that this can only be done successfully through a truly interdisciplinary approach. Key to this interdisciplinary dialogue is the growing awareness within all three disciplines, but admittedly only marginally within children's rights law, that only by moving beyond the binary distinction between victim-and perpetrator-hood, the complexity of childhood soldiering can be grasped. In transitional justice, the concept of role reversal has been instructive, and in psychosocial studies, emphasis has been put on the 'agency' of (former) child soldiers, whereby child soldiers sometimes account on how joining the armed force or group was (partially) out of their own free will. Hence, child soldiers' perpetrator-hood is not only part of the way child soldiers are perceived in the communities they return to, but equally of the way they see themselves. These findings plea for more contextualized approaches, including a greater participation of child soldiers, the elaboration of accountability mechanisms beyond criminal responsibility, and an intimate connection between individual, social and societal healing by paying more attention to reconciliation. Summary: This article deepens on the question how to conceptualize the victim-perpetrator imaginary about child soldiers through an interdisciplinary dialogue between children's rights law, psychosocial approaches and transitional justice. With this interdisciplinary perspective, we intend to open up narrow disciplinary viewpoints, and contribute to more integrated approaches, beyond a binary distinction between victimhood and perpetrator-hood.
Background The often-precarious life circumstances of undocumented migrants are likely to heighte... more Background The often-precarious life circumstances of undocumented migrants are likely to heighten the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives. Given the paucity of research exploring how undocumented migrants are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we set out to explore the association between being an undocumented migrant and a range of social and mental health measures. Methods Our study draws on three complementary surveys conducted among migrants in France between April 1st and June 7th 2020 (APART TOGETHER, MAKASI, ECHO; n = 716). We tested associations between eight outcome measures, covering health literacy, prevention behaviours, perceptions of government responses, livelihoods and mental health (PHQ-9 score), and the participants' legal status as either undocumented or documented. We modelled the probability of food insecurity increase, job loss, depression, and responses to SARS-COV-2 symptoms with logistic regression models, adjusted for age, gender...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The COVID-19 pandemic is a defining global health crisis of our time. While the impact of COVID-1... more The COVID-19 pandemic is a defining global health crisis of our time. While the impact of COVID-19, including its mental health impact, is increasingly being documented, there remain important gaps regarding the specific consequences of the pandemic on particular population groups, including refugees and migrants. This study aims to uncover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of refugees and migrants worldwide, disentangling the possible role of social and daily stressors, i.e., experiences of discrimination and daily living conditions. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the responses of N = 20,742 refugees and migrants on the self-reporting global ApartTogether survey. Survey findings indicated that the mental health of refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly impacted, particularly for certain subgroups, (i.e., insecure housing situation and residence status, older respondents, and females) wh...
Background Schools are considered as natural environments to enhance students’ social-emotional s... more Background Schools are considered as natural environments to enhance students’ social-emotional skills in general and mental health and affiliation among students with refugee and immigrant background. A layered or tiered provision of services are recommended as they can be effective to meet the needs of war-affected adolescents’ who variably show posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study tests the effectiveness of multi-layered interventions integrating targeted cognitive-behavioral treatment-based TRT (Teaching Recovery Techniques), a class-room focused preventive intervention PIER (Peer Integration and Enhancement Resources), and a whole school psychoeducative teacher-led intervention INSETT (In Service Teacher Training) in enhancing the wellbeing of children in their school environments. We analyze first, whether the interventions are effective in decreasing symptoms of PTSD and psychological distress and increasing positive resources i.e. prosocial behavior and re...
: Ukraine is usually portrayed as a cleft country with a determining internal East–West divide. H... more : Ukraine is usually portrayed as a cleft country with a determining internal East–West divide. However, critical researchers in Ukrainian scholarship emphasize that the East–West paradigm fails to adequately reflect the complex reality of the Ukrainian society and its historical, linguistic, economic, and political mixture. This article deconstructs the origins and evolution of the eastern and western Ukrainian identities and argues that the current clash between the two regions should not be explained by linguistic and ethnic differences, geopolitical strategies, economic interests, or political gains but rather by symbolic geographies, historical myths, and political imaginations. As a consequence, Ukraine is unable to make clear choices about its geopolitical future and remains a liminal space of east and west, where the broader EU-centered and Russia-centered regions overlap.Resumen: Ucrania suele ser retratada como un país caracterizado por una división interna determinante entre el este y el oeste. Sin embargo, algunos investigadores critican este paradigma Este-Oeste, que no refleja la compleja realidad de la sociedad ucraniana y su mezcla histórica, lingüística, económica y política. En este artículo se deconstruyen los orígenes y la evolución de las identidades ucranianas orientales y occidentales y se argumenta que el actual choque entre las dos regiones debería explicarse por el nuevo enfoque de geografías simbólicas, mitos históricos e imaginaciones políticas. En caso contrario, Ucrania no puede tomar decisiones claras sobre su futuro geopolítico y sigue siendo un espacio liminal de este y oeste, donde se superponen las regiones más amplias centradas en la UE y en Rusia, respectivamente.Résumé: L’Ukraine est généralement présentée comme un pays avec une division interne Est-Ouest déterminante. Cependant, des chercheurs ukrainiens critiquent ce paradigme Est-Ouest, qui ne reflèterait pas la réalité complexe de la société ukrainienne ni son mélange historique, linguistique, économique et politique. Cet article déconstruit les origines et l’évolution des identités ukrainiennes orientales et occidentales et soutient que le conflit qui les oppose actuellement devrait être expliqué par la nouvelle approche des géographies symboliques, des mythes historiques et des imaginations politiques. A défaut, l’Ukraine est incapable de faire des choix clairs quant à son avenir géopolitique et reste un espace liminaire entre l’Est et l’Ouest, où les régions plus larges centrées sur l’UE et la Russie se chevauchent.
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research
Kalema, D., Vanderplasschen, W., Vindevogel, S., Baguma, P., & Derluyn, I. (2017). Treatment chal... more Kalema, D., Vanderplasschen, W., Vindevogel, S., Baguma, P., & Derluyn, I. (2017). Treatment challenges for alcohol service users in Kampala, Uganda. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 6(1), 27-35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v6i1.240Background and Aims: Enhancing treatment participation of persons with substance use disorders is a challenge worldwide. Obstacles keeping people from entering or continuing treatment are well documented in Western countries, but such knowledge is scarce in majority countries that face particular challenges when implementing alcohol policies. This study aimed at identifying factors challenging treatment participation in Uganda, a Sub-Saharan country with a considerable alcohol problem.Methods: Data were collected during 30 in-depth, qualitative interviews on treatment challenges with 20 service providers and 10 male service users, who were recruited at one public and one private alcohol treatment center in the Ugandan capita...
Background: As many refugee minors have gone/go through stressful life experiences and uncertaint... more Background: As many refugee minors have gone/go through stressful life experiences and uncertainty, one might expect mental health issues, including self-injury. However, literature on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in refugee minors is scarce. This study explores the prevalence, methods, and functions of NSSI in refugee minors in Belgium, and compares research results to the existing literature on NSSI in Western adolescents. Methods: Data were obtained from 121 refugee minors (mean age = 16.12, SD = 1.23; range 14-18 years) through schools located in the Flemish and Brussels-Capital regions of Belgium. The sample consists of 39.7% girls and 60.3% boys. Self-report questionnaires were used to explore socioeconomic data, NSSI behaviour (e.g. The Brief Non-Suicidal Self-injury Assessment Tool; BNNSI-AT) and emotional and behavioural difficulties (The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ). Non-parametric Chi square tests were used for statistical comparisons of the obtained data as well as independent-sample t-tests and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Results show a lifetime NSSI prevalence rate of 17.4%. Being accompanied or not, having both parents around, or living in an asylum centre did not influence NSSI prevalence. An average of 2.65 methods of NSSI was applied (SD = 2.50; range 1-9). The mean number of functions per person was six (SD = 4.97, range 0-16), with automatic functions reported the most. The data do point towards a greater psychological strain, with 68.4% reporting more than five acts of NSSI. Results of the SDQ's Total Difficulties Scale and, more specifically, of the Emotional Problems, Conduct Problems, Peer Problems and Impact Scales indicate a substantial risk of clinically significant problems within the NSSI group. The Peer Problems and Impact Scales also point towards a high risk for suicidality amongst self-injuring refugees. Conclusions: Prevalence rates, methods and functions are comparable to Western samples. However, the higher incidence of the NSSI and the results on the SDQ also emphasise the vulnerability of refugee minors.
Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how Eric Broekaert perceived “Ortho-pedagogy” ... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how Eric Broekaert perceived “Ortho-pedagogy” as an academic discipline. Design/methodology/approach The authors try to get a grasp on Broekaert’s point of view while cross-reading three central articles in which he explains his integrated and holistic paradigm of education. Findings One could argue that, while claiming that the different epistemological, ontological and methodological approaches underlying Eric Broekaert’s paradigm of holistic education are not easily integrated, the potential paradoxes he produced in this claim also enabled a “choc des idées” and challenged and enlightened a wide diversity of researchers and practitioners in taking a partial, locatable, critical, reflexive and temporary stance in educational praxis (Lather, 1991). Originality/value The authors discuss how Broekaert, as a companion in life, enabled them to cautiously embrace tensions, paradoxes and complexities in the development of an educational ...
During the last decade, irregular border crossings emerged as a new element in international migr... more During the last decade, irregular border crossings emerged as a new element in international migratory flows, with smuggling and trafficking networks being an essential part. Many people are compelled to use these networks to realize their dream of a better living, and for many this "promised land" is the United Kingdom (UK). Belgium has important sea connections with the UK, and is, therefore, an important migration transit zone, although many migrants are intercepted on Belgian territory during their attempt to reach the UK. Some are unaccompanied or separated children and adolescents, minors travelling without parent(s) or a legal caregiver. This study aims to gain insight about this population of unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK. We use the situation in Zeebrugge, one of Belgium's main ports, as a case study. Almost all unaccompanied minors are convinced they want to reach the UK to create a better livelihood, join a family member, or escape a difficult political situation. Nevertheless, most travel in difficult circumstances; are scared; and lack essential information about life in the UK, their possibilities in Belgium, what will happen if they are transferred to a centre, and so forth. Most minors also do not want to be transferred to a centre, and manyalthough not all-disappear again from the centres. This study has several implications concerning the kind of decisions taken by the legal authorities, the necessary physical and psycho-social care and the availability of an interpreter and social worker during the interception, the number of reception places and the care in these centres, and the tasks of the legal guardian. Finally, some limitations of the study are mentioned.
declared greater. In later verses, followers of Islam were forbidden to attend prayer while intox... more declared greater. In later verses, followers of Islam were forbidden to attend prayer while intoxicated, and finally drinking was declared to be a Satanic act and was thus totally forbidden [11]. Currently, in some MMCs where Islamic law is practised, people abstain from alcohol, not only because it is illegal but also because of the guilt they experience if they do drink. This is not so apparent in other MMCs where Islamic law has not been adopted. Thus, Islamic faith in forbidding drinking appears to prevent much of the harm that globalization by the alcohol industry generates [12]. The future The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the total ban on alcohol advertising [13], but more education of the public and others into the subtle influence of advertising on drinking (in spite of its being illegal) is required. Marketing is global, and therefore measures to reduce the harm caused by alcohol should be global, with attention paid to the areas of trading and marketing we have summarized. Further attention should be paid to the issues by public health physicians, academics, religious leaders, governments and political party leaders. Alcohol policies should respect Sharia teaching and, at the same time, take into account the culture of immigrant workers and visitors to Muslim countries, as well as 21st-century economic development. Research into the extent of alcohol consumption is necessary. However, because of their illegal status most sales and consumption of alcohol are unrecorded. Intensified efforts towards collecting data should be made, with the indirect methods used in research into illicit drugtaking among hard-to-reach populations [14] applied.
Background: Worldwide, thousands of children are acting in different roles in armed groups. Where... more Background: Worldwide, thousands of children are acting in different roles in armed groups. Whereas human rights activism and humanitarian imperatives tend to emphasize the image of child soldiers as incapable victims of adults' abusive compulsion, this image does not fully correspond with prevailing pedagogical and jurisprudential discourses, nor does it represent all child soldiers' own perceptions of their role. Moreover, contemporary warfare is often marked by fuzzy distinctions between perpetrators and victims. This article deepens on the question how to conceptualize the victim-perpetrator imaginary about child soldiers, starting from three disciplines, children's rights law, psychosocial approaches and transitional justice, and then proceeding into an interdisciplinary approach. Discussion: We argue that the victim-perpetrator dichotomy in relation to child soldiers needs to be revisited, and that this can only be done successfully through a truly interdisciplinary approach. Key to this interdisciplinary dialogue is the growing awareness within all three disciplines, but admittedly only marginally within children's rights law, that only by moving beyond the binary distinction between victim-and perpetrator-hood, the complexity of childhood soldiering can be grasped. In transitional justice, the concept of role reversal has been instructive, and in psychosocial studies, emphasis has been put on the 'agency' of (former) child soldiers, whereby child soldiers sometimes account on how joining the armed force or group was (partially) out of their own free will. Hence, child soldiers' perpetrator-hood is not only part of the way child soldiers are perceived in the communities they return to, but equally of the way they see themselves. These findings plea for more contextualized approaches, including a greater participation of child soldiers, the elaboration of accountability mechanisms beyond criminal responsibility, and an intimate connection between individual, social and societal healing by paying more attention to reconciliation. Summary: This article deepens on the question how to conceptualize the victim-perpetrator imaginary about child soldiers through an interdisciplinary dialogue between children's rights law, psychosocial approaches and transitional justice. With this interdisciplinary perspective, we intend to open up narrow disciplinary viewpoints, and contribute to more integrated approaches, beyond a binary distinction between victimhood and perpetrator-hood.
Full text: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/yZfRRqgxPvIuSI7uz3If/full
Abstract: Community-Base... more Full text: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/yZfRRqgxPvIuSI7uz3If/full Abstract: Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is an effective strategy to promote action research regarding health and substance use issues. The London-based Centre for Ethnicity and Health’s CBPR model was replicated in Belgium to study substance use and service utilisation in Bulgarian, Slovakian and Turkish communities in the city of Ghent. This article focuses on the implementation of the CBPR model, challenges and adaptions linked to the Belgian context. In this paper, we describe the study design and actors involved, namely (1) community organisations, (2) the community advisory board and (3) community researchers. Furthermore, we focus on the challenges and pitfalls of the CBPR method and its implications, including (1) community collaboration, (2) co-ethnic researchers, (3) characteristics of the respondents and (4) empowerment of the respective communities. We conclude by discussing potential pathways for future CBPR in the field of substance use and service utilisation among migrants and ethnic minorities.
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Papers by Ilse Derluyn
Abstract: Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is an effective strategy to promote action research regarding health and substance use issues. The London-based Centre for Ethnicity and Health’s CBPR model was replicated in Belgium to study substance use and service utilisation in Bulgarian, Slovakian and Turkish communities in the city of Ghent. This article focuses on the implementation of the CBPR model, challenges and adaptions linked to the Belgian context. In this paper, we describe the study design and actors involved, namely (1) community organisations, (2) the community advisory board and (3) community researchers. Furthermore, we focus on the challenges and pitfalls of the CBPR method and its implications, including (1) community collaboration, (2) co-ethnic researchers, (3) characteristics of the respondents and (4) empowerment of the respective communities. We conclude by discussing potential pathways for future CBPR in the field of substance use and service utilisation among migrants and ethnic minorities.