New Delhi, Mar 19: Jamia Millia Islamia University here hosted a seminar on Kashmir conflict.
The two-day international seminar was organized by the Department of Psychology on the theme Psychology of Trauma: Women and children in violent conflicts.
Trauma is one of the most significant and unavoidable outcome of a violent conflict. Apart from the physical, material and economic damages that are inflicted on the population, the traumatic experience of violence can have long lasting and deep-rooted psychological consequences. Witnessing violent crimes, loss of loved ones, destruction of the community, involvement in perpetration of violence, displacement, and torture are some of the common situations in a conflict zone that may have multiple impacts on the mental, social and emotional functioning of the individual, said Professor Wajida Khan, Convenor and chairperson of the conference, who is also Head of Psychology Department, Jamia Millia Islamia.
Prof Khan added that sometimes, the outcome of trauma is not overt and may remain dormant for a long time. However, re-adjustment and rehabilitation of violence victims require a close understanding of the causes and symptoms of trauma and its possible treatment, she said. The persistence of structural violence and systems that continue to place these groups in marginalized conditions, make the effect of trauma and its psychological manifestations different and, in many cases, more intricate and severe for these sections.
She said: It is in this perspective that the International Seminar on Psychology of Trauma seeks to address various aspects of trauma in the context of women and children in violent conflict.
Dr. Najeeb Jung, Vice Chancellor of the host university, while speaking at the inaugural function, underlined the need for discussing Psychology of Trauma that engulfs women and children in violent conflicts. He said it is important to explore the experience of violence and trauma among the more underrepresented groups like women and children. The issues of trauma and violence, he said, can be resolved with the society at large joining hands with each other. He wished more men should have participated in the conference as there needs to be a sensitization regarding such pertinent issues among them.
Dr. MA Magroob talked about the need for multidisciplinary courses to bring about better researched papers on such issues. He pointed out that universities are the best places to make such researches happen.
Prof. Johan Galtung, well known Norwegian sociologist who is the principal founder of the discipline of peace and conflict studies and also founded the Peace Research Institute Oslo addressed the delegates from Spain (via SKYPE). He spoke on positive and negative peace, structural violence, theories on conflict and conflict resolution and mediation. Prof. Sanjoy Hazarika, Director, Centre for North East Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, spoke about the issues of peace and conflict in North-East.