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The Coalition for Work
With Psychotrauma and Peace Previous Newsletters
15 November, 2005
To read a version of this Update in Microsoft Word, click here.
Notice of Change of E-Mail Addresses From today, the e-mails of CWWPP staff are as follows: For general inquiries and general matters: office@cwwpp.org Dr. Charles David Tauber, Head of Mission: cdtauber@cwwpp.org Mr. Sasa Bjelanovic, Deputy Head of Mission: bsasa@cwwpp.org Mr. Robert Strk, Administrator: rstrk@cwwpp.org Mr. Nenad Manojlovic, Researcher on the Hanadiv Project: nesho80@cwwpp.org Mr. Sasa Ostojic, Data Coordinator on the Hanadiv Project: ostojic.sasa@cwwpp.org.
The old e-mails of the CWWPP will be valid until 28 February, 2006.
June, 2005 marked the tenth anniversary of the CWWPP presence in the region. During those ten years, we have trained about 500 people and directly treated approximately 1000 people. It is difficult for estimate the total number of people we have affected, because each of the people we have trained has gone on to work with other groups. Thus, we estimate that we have assisted between 5000 and 10000 people in the region of eastern Croatia, northern Bosnia Herzegovina and Vojvodina. We have also had a total of about 25 interns from abroad and a large number of groups of foreign students who have visited us for varying periods. Further, we have spoken at quite a number of international conferences and published papers on the problems of post-conflict areas. As a result of all of this experience, we have decided to establish the Institute for Post-Conflict Studies, where we will share our knowledge and conduct research into more effective ways of working in regions such as ours.
Unfortunately, psychological treatment in eastern Croatia, northern Bosnia and Vojvodina remains at a low standard. Psychotherapy and self-help groups are virtually non-existent. Virtually all treatment uses drugs, causing high – and unmeasured – levels of addiction. Psychiatrists in the region are seeing up to 75 patients per day.
An absurd new law in Croatia says that former soldiers must have registered as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) by the end of 2005 if they want to get the status of army war veteran based on this “disease” (which we prefer to call a reaction). This goes against international definitions. Furthermore, in September, a very prominent Croatian psychiatrist noted that aggressors are protected from having ptsd because they created the trauma and they can only feel guilt. This standpoint was accented in a recent television program in which it was asserted that Serbs cannot suffer from ptsd. It is obvious that these standpoints make no sense.
Physical medical treatment is also at a low standard. General practitioners are seeing an average of 50-75 patients per day, and we continue to hear stories of mis-diagnosis and mis-treatment. The problem of the time that physicians have for patients is now being compounded by a new rule that compels physicians to write their own bills for each patient contact.
Unfortunately, the human rights situation in Croatia is still poor. The problem of the 350 000 Serbs who left Croatia since 1991 is nowhere near solved. Based on OSCE reports, 120 000 people have returned. However, of that number, 40 000 left the country again because of the poor conditions the faced upon their return. Therefore, the real number of Serbs who have returned to Croatia is about 80 000. The majority of these 80 000 are older people whose income is based on agriculture or who have pensions, and thus who can survive. The high number of people who leave the country after returning is an indication of the (lack of) success of international and national reintegration policies and politics. We see few systematic efforts toward reintegration such as the Strategy of Complex Rehabilitation proposed by the CWWPP (see the Proposals section of the CWWPP website for examples of what might be done).
Sadly, there is little work on reconciliation going on in the Vukovar area. There seems to be no interest from donors to finance these activities and to invest in this region where the war in the Balkans started. This is reflected in the segregation of the educational system, even at the kindergarten level. This bodes ill for the future of the region.
Corruption in the region is still widespread, even among some non-governmental organizations. More information is available through Transparency International at http://www.transparency.org/cpi/2005/2005.10.18.cpi.en.html.s
The CWWPP held an 8-week program on the problems of post-conflict areas during the summer of 2005. Participants in the Program evaluated it as highly successful. A full report is available.
Announcement Summer Program 2006 The CWWPP hereby announces its Program in Post-Conflict Studies for 2006. More information is available.
Conferences and International Contacts Dr. Charles David Tauber participated in two conferences in the Toronto area in May and June, 2005. The first was the Conference on Peace Through Health held at McMaster University. This was a working conference, in which participants from quite a number of countries agreed to continue research and education in the field. More information on this conference is available at http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/peace-health/Conf2005/Conf-2005.htm.
In June, the Transitional Learning Center of the University of Toronto held a working conference on the formation of an international institute for grassroots peacebuilding. Dr. Charles David Tauber was a keynote speaker. The CWWPP is playing a central role in this initiative.
Dr. Charles David Tauber gave a seminar on Treatment of Problems of Identity in Former Soldiers during the course in Genocide, War Crimes and Memories sponsored by the University of Sarajevo at the Inter-University Center Dubrovnik. Just after this seminar, he participated in a Balkan-wide working group on restorative justice sponsored by the Department of Law of the University of Leuven.
Meeting with Dutch Minister of Cooperation and Development In October, 2005, the Dutch Minister of Cooperation and Development, Ms. Agnes van Ardenne, visited Vukovar. The CWWPP was one of a small group of non-governmental organizations who were given the opportunity to personally speak with the Minister and representatives of several other Dutch governmental bodies. Contacts continue.
We have been honored by the visits of Dutch Ambassador Lionel Veer to Vukovar and the formal and informal opportunities that we have had to meet with him.
We have had several meetings with representatives of the British Department for International Development (DFID). DFID is interested in cooperation on programs of restorative justice for youth and of counseling of the victims of crime. Unfortunately, no funding has been forthcoming.
Ryoko Ebina, the Director of Global Health Communications, www.globalhealthcommunications.com, came to Vukovar in the spring of 2005 in connection with her Ph.D. thesis and her work on health promotion. We are expecting her to return in the spring of 2006 to work on plans for further cooperation.
Prof. Nebojsa Petrovic, Professor of Psychology at the University of Belgrade, has been in communication with us for several years and finally visited Vukovar recently. Prof. Petrovic has developed a curriculum in Psychology and Peace together with the London School of Economics. He has offered to work together with us to offer this curriculum in the context of the Institute for Post-Conflict Studies.
We were very pleased to see our old friends Dr. Barry Hart and Ms. Vesna Hart of Eastern Mennonite University of Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. Both gave seminars during the Summer Program in Post-Conflict Studies. Prof. Barry Hart has become a member of the Board of the CWWPP.
In October, 2005, a group from the Caucasus invited to our region by the Center for Peace Osijek visited the CWWPP. We gave them a seminar on the history and problems of the region, in particular the problems of mental and physical health. Members of that group were interested in further contact and training.
Work with Marimo, the Group of the Families of Schizophrenics in Osijek The very successful cooperation with Marimo is entering its fifth year. We continue to co-lead a group for the relatives of schizophrenics in Osijek. There are plans to expand cooperation when funding permits.
Work with Bubamara, the Group of Physical Invalids in Vinkovci After the successful cooperation in the project of assistance to physical invalids sponsored by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the CWWPP has begun a course for self-help group leaders from Bubamara. This course will last for approximately a year, after which the CWWPP will supervise the participants.
In September, the CWWPP began to teach a “core group” the basics of communication, psychological trauma, civil society and non-violent conflict transformation. It is expected that the course will last for approximately a year. The participants will then be qualified to work as group leaders in the field. A number of the participants are members of other non-governmental organizations working in the region.
At present, we are continuing to increase slowly the number of individual clients whom we are treating. Unfortunately, we do not have the staff capacity to deal with all the clients whom we would wish to assist.
Course at the Evangelical Theological Faculty (ETF) Osijek In April and May, 2005 Charles David Tauber gave a 30-hour course in Introduction to Counseling at the Evangelical Theological Faculty, Osijek. This is one more step in the cooperation between the ETF, the CWWPP and the Jewish Community of Osijek, which have worked together on a number of events during the past few years.
Summer University of the Youth Peace Group Danube During the two-week long Summer University held by the Youth Peace Group Danube at Europe House Vukovar, which was financed by the Next Stop Denmark Youth Organization and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs FRESTA Program, Dr. Charles David Tauber gave a number of seminars to students from around the world on the psychology of post-conflict areas, in particular as applied to this region. The short courses held by the Summer University included Nationalism and the Role of the Intellectual, Unemployment Among Youth, Eco-Activism, and Revolutionary Movements.
In April, for the third year in a row, we assisted in the organization of the Pre-Passover Celebration of the Jewish Community of Osijek. In addition to a dinner and Sephardic music in Vukovar played by Mr. Stephan Sablic of the Jewish Community of Belgrade, the celebration included a talk at the Ilok Museum on the history of the Jews there, as well as a visit and prayers at the Jewish Graveyard of Ilok. There were good opportunities to speak with our guests, who included the Dutch and Serbian Ambassadors to Croatia.
We are grateful to the Hanadiv Foundation of London for a grant of 7 500 GBP for a project on the History of Jews in the Vukovar Area. This grant will cover a part of the planned activities of this project. This part of the project will be completed by 1 March, 2006. Mr. Nenad Manojlovic of Borovo has been appointed as chief researcher and Mr. Sasa Ostojic has been hired to create a database of materials. We are surprised by the amount of material that we have already collected and by the amount of material about which we have information.
Problems with Volunteering in Croatia Although we receive a number of letters from people who wish to volunteer with us and other organizations, since 1 January, 2004 we have had a problem with the Croatian law, which does not permit people to visit the country for more than 90 days, after which they must leave the country for another 90 days before returning. Several organizations, including the Center for Peace Osijek, the Nansen Dialogue Center Osijek and Europe House Vukovar are working together with us to approach the government to change these laws. Although a draft bill has been written, there is no indication as to if or when it will be debated in Parliament. This law has important consequences for the work of the Institute.
Problems with Tax Deductibility in Croatia Under current Croatian law, non-profit non-governmental organizations are not free of sales tax, nor do citizens or corporations have the right to deduct contributions from their income tax. This considerably decreases the interest in contributing to organizations like ours as well as significantly increasing our costs. At this moment, there are no signs that the government will change these laws.
We are very grateful to an anonymous donor from the USA for providing our core budget for 2005 and into 2006. This has allowed us to redirect our energy from the constant pressure of fundraising for survival to pursue our aims and goals. This kind of substantial contribution will allow us to develop new strategies for sustainability in the future.
The Strategic Plan for 2006 has now been written and is available. In the new plan, we have returned to our emphasis on work at village level, as well as emphasizing the development of the Field Institute for Post-Conflict Studies.
We have steadily increased staff during the period since the last Update. We have taken on a volunteer, Mr. Sasa Ostojic, who has been working with us since February, 2005. Mr. Ostojic has proved himself as a hard worker with a wide variety of skills. Because of his dedication and in recognition of his level of skill, we have given him the opportunity to work on the Hanadiv Project.
Mr. Nenad Manojlovic has been hired as researcher on the Hanadiv Project. Mr. Manojlovic, who is from Borovo, has been involved with non-governmental organizations since 1997, most recently with Europe House Vukovar, with whom we cooperate closely.
After a year and a half as Development Coordinator, Mr. Sasa Bjelanovic has been promoted to Deputy Head of Mission. Mr. Bjelanovic has worked in non-governmental organizations since 1996. He and Dr. Charles David Tauber now share management responsibilities within the CWWPP.
Robert Strk continues as administrator for the CWWPP. In the coming period, he will take more responsibilities for leading groups.
After 10 years of working in rented facilities, the needs of the CWWPP are expanding because of the number of courses we are holding in the context of the Institute, the core groups, client services and other projects. We therefore urgently need additional space. We need approximately 150 000 Euros to buy and equip an adequate house. During the past 10 years, we have spent approximately 50 000 Euros only for rent. Because the property has not been ours, we have been limited in the modifications of the space that we have been able to make to suit our needs. We are still using the furniture and some of the equipment of our landlord. We feel that it is finally time for us to solve these problems. If you have any idea as to how we assist us, feel free to contact us.
In the same contact, because of the numbers of students and visitors and our planned field work, we also urgently need a diesel combi van. The estimated cost of a used one is about 10 000 Euros. To make importation into Croatia easier, the van should be less than 7 years old. Again, thank you for any ideas you may have.
Thank you for your support.
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