Trauma is an extremely distressing experience that causes severe emotional shock and may have long-lasting psychological effects.
Incarcerated Youth: Looking at that definition I can’t think of a greater trauma that can be inflicted than incarcerating children, recently the Australian Indigenous Community had to go to the United Nations and argue for a basic human right that a child under the age of 14 not be incarcerated click here. What kind of community do we become when we fail at providing basic services for troubled youth and one needs to do a shout out on social media or worse still visit the United Nations and present a case for Human Rights violation.
War: The whole purpose of war is to create “chaos and confusion” which is great for any political strategist who has something to hide. In that chaos and confusion of course comes violence and trauma, where the most vulnerable are confused in the chaos and taken advantage off such as refugees, recently I signed the Amnesty Australia petition calling for justice and support for Rohingya women who have experienced sexual violence at the hands of the Myanmar military. You can do the same, click here
Climate Change: Imagine losing your home in moments, Climate Change affects millions of people around the world. Queensland, Australia is not unfamiliar with bushfires, especially during bushfire season(Summer), however an unprecedented bushfire so huge causing catastrophic damage in Spring isn’t really on one’s radar, which is exactly what happened recently in South East Qld. See Tweet
Like I said previously Australia is not unfamiliar with bushfires nor are we unfamiliar with droughts , however the severity and the regular occurrence of them is something that farmers need to face and govt assistance will be essential, as families who are bound by property mortgages and stuck in poverty until it rains, a drought strategy dealing with climate change so farmers aren’t killing livestock and going in debt to pay for water or food. See Tweet
Refugees and Immigration: I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to be forced to leave your own country that you have lived in all your life, you know the customs and the language, however because you heritage is elsewhere and you a have a certain medical condition that can easily be treated but serves as a great legal loophole for an immigration dept to deport you for political reasons definitely passes as trauma. An outdated, and now amended rule stopped regional workers with Hepatitis B from applying for permanent residence. Which of course one doesn’t always know when they obtain these diseases but apparently common sense and empathy is too much to ask. See Tweet
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Liam Jenkinson 