03 October 2006
Study on trauma of fresh arrivals to Nepal
A new study to be published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health has found high rates of physical and mental hardship among Tibetan refugees crossing the Himalayan range from Tibet to Nepal. "We found evidence of severe physical and mental hardships among refugees at the Tibetan refugee transit centre in Kathmandu, Nepal", says senior author Edward Mills, a research fellow with the department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University. The researchers conducted interviews with 50 recent refugees, including women and children at the refugee centre in Kathmandu and found more than half faced persecution at the hands of both Chinese and Nepalese authorities. "The study findings indicate systematic violations of the refugee's rights, including torture, extortion, sexual assault and illegal detention", says Mills. "Many refugees experienced severe health concerns including frostbite, trauma and starvation". The authors say that "international pressures are needed to prevent these human rights violations against this vulnerable population".