SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2003
Militancy takes its toll on psyche of J&K children
ANITA KATYAL
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR: Twelve-year-old Amina, residing in Shopian, was recently brought to the Government Psychiatric Hospital in Srinagar for treatment. She showed signs of hysteria and claimed she was possessed by ghosts.
Lengthy questioning by the doctors revealed that she was not the only one with these symptoms, a number of other children in her school were also similarly affected.
Not just this school but when we screened students in the schools of Baramulla, Tangmarg, Badguan and Rajbagh areas we found that several children showed signs of depression and hysteria, says Dr G A Wani, psychiatrist with the government hospital.
For instance children in a Baramulla school, he recalls, suffered from acute anxiety as they insisted that their classrooms were haunted by the ghosts of BSF soldiers, who had occupied their school building earlier.
In medical terms, the condition of these children is described as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Simply put, it means that these signs of trauma, anxiety, depression and hysteria are a result of constant exposure to gunfire, the sight of heavily armed security personnel or seeing a family member being killed or tortured.
Till ten years ago, we did not get more than 30 such patients a day. Today, we examine nearly 200 such cases, adds Dr Wani.
Clearly, years of militancy have taken a toll on the state of Jammu and Kashmir in more ways than one. While media and official attention has, so far focussed on the economic and political fall-out of this unending violence, one area which has escaped everybody's attention is how insurgency has added to the number of the disabled in the state.
Living in constant fear of the gun has meant an increase in the number of mentally ill as cases of trauma, depression and anxiety are not so uncommon.
At the same time, landmine blasts, sniper shots and grenade attacks have left behind a trail of maimed and physically disabled persons.
Though there are no official figures available, it is widely acknowledged by activists in the disability sector that eleven years of militancy has definitely resulted in an increase in the number of both physically disabled and mentally ill in the state.
The staff at the Composite Rehabilitation Centre (CRC) maintains that of hundred physically challenged persons approaching them for help, at least 30-40 are militancy-related.
There are persons who have spinal injuries because of gunshot wounds or others who have lost their leg or arm in a landmine or grenade blast, explains Bafiyeh Siddiq, physiotherapist at CRC.
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed referred to this emerging problem facing his government when he inaugurated a two-day meet of disabled persons on Saturday. Speaking at the meeting, organised by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled Persons (NCPEDP) and the Srinagar-based NGO, Shelter Towards Independent Living (STIL), the CM admitted that the problem of disability in J&K is more acute than in the other state. Years of militancy have rendered a lot people disabled. This is particularly so in the border areas, he admitted.
While officials acknowledge the gravity of the problem, successive state governments have remained singularly insensitive to the needs and requirements of the growing number of disabled. I am disabled but I have no access even to the social welfare department which is on the second floor, says Javed Ahmed Tak, who runs an NGO, Helpline, in Brijbehara. The infrastructure in the state, badly hit because of years of violence, is just not able to cope with the increasing pressures.
NCPEDP director Javed Abidi said the situation here is really serious for previous and past governments have ignored the disabled. The Disablity Act, which provides for equal opportunities to the disabled, remains largely unimplemented in the state.
The Act, passed by the J&K state, does not contain the clause providing for a three per cent reservation for the disabled in educational institutions while its rules are yet to be framed. Again, a central coordination committee, which is to implement this Act, has not met, nor has a Disability Commissioner been appointed.
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