Webinar: What role does the United States and its allies have in addressing medical and mental health support for the Kurdish and survivor communities after the end of the combat mission in Kurdistan and Iraq?

On July 26, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that American troops would end their combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021. The announcement left more questions than answers with many in fear about the political stability and the future of economic and infrastructure development in the region.

The Kurdish people have endured decades of genocide, rape, torture, forced religious conversion, and loss of loved ones to the Ba’ath Regime, ISIS, and multiple other terrorists. This panel will take a narrow look at how the United States and its allies can work with local governments to create programs that will provide necessary health, trauma, and mental care support for Kurdish people as they start to navigate post-conflict settings as a means of preventing future conflict in the region.

The psychotherapy and health programs at Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights address the root of post-conflict trauma and provide a roadmap to stability among various communities in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq, and Syria. Today Jiyan supports 9 treatment centers, a clinic for Yazidi women and families, a Healing Garden and mobile teams helping survivors in 11 refugee and IDP camps and nine regions throughout Kurdistan, Iraq, & Syria. Since 2005 these programs have supported over 100,000 survivors of trauma, terror, domestic violence and human rights violations in the region.”

This panel discussion is hosted by the Washington Kurdish Institute and the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights

Moderator: Joshua Governale – Public Relations, Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights

Speakers:

Introduction by Salah Ahmad – Chair, Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights

Asmaa Ibrahim is Co-head of Trauma Care and Health at Jiyan Foundation

Dr. Michael M. Gunter is a professor of political science at Tennessee Technological University

Amb. Peter W. Galbraith

Dr. Anne Speckhard, Ph.D is Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School

Learn more about the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights by visiting their website: https://us.jiyan.org/

Learn more about the Washington Kurdish Institute by visiting their website: https://dckurd.org/

You can find more videos from the Washington Kurdish Institute on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOkBnOXuGYCgpUoeVCHN6Q