Psychosocial support allows children involved in armed groups to alleviate their suffering and help them recover from the trauma they have experienced.
Violent acts such as killings, gender-based violence, and torture may have long-term psychological effects on children who have experienced or witnessed them. It is common for these children to have suffered from sexual abuse, deprivation of basic needs, loss of loved ones, as well as the gamut of emotions such as guilt and betrayal of trust by adults and authority figures. It is difficult for them not only to deal with their experiences, but also to have any hope for a productive future. For this reason CCF supports projects that provide psychological support to children who were involved in Colombian armed groups. These projects may involve group or individual therapy.
In the short term, the psychological support will alleviate suffering in the children and help them to come to terms with their experiences. In the long term, the psychological support will develop the children’s ability to deal with and express their own emotions, which will enable them to form relationships and resilience. These are evidenced through children’s enhanced ability to express their emotions, an increase in self-esteem and other psychological measures.
