DUBAI // Children as young as four who suffered sexual or physical abuse and had post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosed, retold the trauma they underwent using toys as part of a play therapy method managed by psychologists in Dubai.
“For children who are four to eight years, it’s very hard for them to tell you what happened in words,” said Ghanima Hassan Al Bahri, care and rehabilitation director of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC).
She is one of 45 social workers and psychologists from across the UAE who are attending a three-day training workshop on PTSD organised by the DFWAC.
“We have seen trauma symptoms even in four and five-year-old children and it’s not only sexual abuse, it could be physical or emotional neglect. It’s very difficult for children to explain the incident in a structured way. It’s a challenge for them to name what they felt. They know what happened but they cannot express how it impacted them.”
Early intervention is key to reaching out to women and children who suffer from PTSD after being raped, sexually abused or subjected to severe physical assault, psychologists said.
Since January, DFWAC has dealt with 650 cases of women and children who were victims of domestic violence, sexual and physical assault or human trafficking.
Of these 47 were offered shelter, the rest were provided external help. The total included 379 victims of domestic violence.
A connection through play therapy is established between the therapist and child.
“We have a play therapy room where they can show you what happened to them through toys, play and games,” said Ms Al Bahri.
“They go through the process of healing through play. The faster the intervention is, the faster is the healing. But if because of the stigma, the culture, the mother hides it, they don’t seek help and the child stays like this for three to five years, then it becomes more difficult.”
DFWAC statistics released in September showed 452 cases of abused women and children in the first half of this year. There were 229 domestic violence cases, 31 of child abuse and shelter was offered to 29 victims.
“The symptoms show also in cases of severe physical assault that cause bruising, bleeding or disability. Or if a woman is pregnant and has been physically abused and has lost the child,” Ms Al Bahri said. They endured nightmares, were unable to sleep, refused to speak to people or eat, were irritable and afraid when they saw men. Victims requiring further assistance were referred to psychiatrists at government facilities.
Detection, care and treatment are being discussed at the workshop, which is being attended by social workers from health centres, shelters, police, courts and prosecution services.
“We felt that there was a lack of awareness among specialists, whether they are working in the legal, mental health field or even in a shelter,” said Ms Al Bahri.
“When they saw clients not sleeping, not eating well, not cooperating or speaking about their trauma, they treated it as an uncooperative case, but it is totally not that. It is because of this disorder (PTSD) and symptoms that they are acting like that.”
Life-threatening experiences, natural calamities or war also induce PTSD, said Dr Ahmad AlHadi, assistant professor and consultant in psychiatry and psychotherapy at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
Attendees at the workshop will practise techniques to assess and manage patients, he said.
“The treatment can be medication, psychological and psychiatric therapy. For medication we need four to six weeks to see the effect and sessions can take three to four months or more. If not treated in time, it could take a long time to overcome.”
rtalwar@thenational.ae
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
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Rating: 3.5/5
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Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
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It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
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1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
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Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
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- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
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