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Module 1: Trauma, Recovery and Torture Survivors

million refugees and 4.4 million asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2021). Estimates of up to 35 percent
(Baker, 1992) to 44 percent (Higson-Smith, 2015) of refugees may have been tortured, although
experts suspect that this is an underestimation. In addition, within specific cultural groups the
percentages are even higher.
More than 85 percent of the world’s refugees are in developing countries (UNHCR, 2021). Of the
relatively small number of individuals who are resettled or seek asylum, some seek primary care
and social, legal and mental health services both from mainstream providers as well as those who
are trained to work with uprooted populations.

When there are issues related to language, interpreters serve as an invaluable bridge between clients
and their service providers. Some systems of care readily provide access to interpreter services,
whereas others, often community-based organizations, must rely primarily on volunteer interpreters.
There are few guidelines available for interpreters to work with this specialized population. We hope
the following guidelines will help you interpret effectively for survivors.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Module 1: Trauma, Recovery and Torture Survivors
Objective 1.1: Describe major concepts related to trauma, including torture and war trauma.
Objective 1.2: List some of the possible mental health consequences of trauma and torture.
Objective 1.3: Explore sources of personal strength in the lives of survivors.

Refugee numbers

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that by mid-2021 there were 84
million forcibly displaced people in the world as a result of persecution, generalized violence, con-
flict or human rights violations (UNHCR, 2020a; UNHCR, 2021). This figure included an estimated
26.6 million refugees worldwide, 48 million internally displaced persons, and approximately 4.4
million asylum-seekers (UNHCR, 2021). More than two-thirds of all refugees and Venezuelans
displaced abroad worldwide in mid-2021 came from five countries: the Syrian Arab Republic (6.8
million), Venezuela (4.1 million), Afghanistan (2.6 million), South Sudan (2.2 million) and Myanmar
(1.1 million). Among the 11.2 newly displaced in 2020 were 1.4 million who sought protection
outside their home country and 9.8 million displaced within their own countries. While children
under 18 represented 30 percent of the world’s population, they comprised 42 percent of all forc-
ibly displaced persons in 2020. Approximately 1 million children were born into refugee status
between 2018 and 2020. For the seventh consecutive year, Turkey hosted the largest numbers of
refugees worldwide (3.7 million), followed by Colombia (1.7 million), Uganda (1.5 million, Pakistan
(1.4 million), and Germany (1.2 million) (UNHCR, 2021).

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