Confronting the Enemy After Wartime Can Help, and Hurt

AS IT IS 2016-05-29 Confronting the Enemy After Wartime Can Help, and Hurt

A new study finds public discussion of a violent civil conflict can harm some victims who have tried to forget the pain they experienced.

In a civil war, a man may sometimes fight against his brother. Civilians¹ might find themselves living in a building next to the enemy.

Some countries have set up truth and reconciliation² commissions as a way to heal society after violent civil conflicts.

More than 20 truth and reconciliation programs have been created in countries where civil wars were fought. The first took place in Latin America. Perhaps the most famous program was held in South Africa after the end of apartheid -- the system that forced black and white citizens to live separately.

Truth and reconciliation commissions give victims of violence the chance to tell their stories. In addition, the attackers have a chance to ask their victims to forgive them.

A truth and reconciliation process is now taking place in Sierra Leone. The West African nation experienced a violent civil war from 1991 to 2002.

During the Revolutionary United Front campaign against the government, more than 50,000 people were killed. Thousands more were raped³ or had arms or legs cut off. The violence displaced about 2.6 million people -- more than half of the population.

In 2007, a group called Fambul Tok -- which means “Family Talk” in the Krio language -- launched a program to give civilians a chance to tell what happened to them.

Some civilians told their stories in great detail. People who had hurt others were given the chance to ask for forgiveness in exchange for not being charged with crimes and imprisoned⁴.

Oeindrila Dube teaches at New York University. She says the process has helped people who have taken part in it and their communities.

“They contributed more to public good. They spent more time doing things like building roads and health clinics and donating to, you know, more to families in need. So, in essence, it became much more community-oriented in their behavior.”

But Dube suspected that not everyone had been helped. Perhaps some civilians found the process of coming face-to-face with former attackers brought back memories of the war. She wondered if this might fuel feelings of anxiety and depression.

The World Bank, Georgetown University and the NGO Innovations for Poverty Action group supported Dube’s research.

She and her team studied 200 Sierra Leonean villages. Half of the villages were chosen to take part in the truth and reconciliation process. The researchers made an interesting discovery.

“While there was all this positive force and societal healing, it was actually quite psychologically difficult for people who had gone through this process, and they exhibited greater anxiety, greater depression and greater trauma⁵ as a result of having gone through the program.”

Compared to villages where civilians did not talk to their torturers, there was a 36 percent higher rate of post-traumatic stress.

The findings were published in the journal Science.

Dube says war crimes should not be forgotten. But she suggests there may be a way to ease the pain that can result after truth and reconciliation meetings.

“They could be combined with ongoing⁶ counseling so people have a little bit more preparation for facing some of these negative memories that they're going to face and, possibly, have ongoing counseling afterward⁷ to help them work through some of the negative emotions and negative memories that they've been confronted with as a result of going through the process.”

The researchers say the process should be changed to better-protect civilians who are hurt when they remember their war experiences.

Words in This Story

reconciliation – n. the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement

anxiety – n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

exhibit – v. to show or reveal (something)

post-traumatic stress – n. a medical condition that follows a traumatic event that a person has experienced

work through – phrasal verb to deal with (something that is difficult or unpleasant) successfully

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

3 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

4 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

5 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。