Decolonising Mental Health: Innovations for Supporting Rohingya Refugees (Phase 1 application)

The plight of the Rohingya people has drawn international attention due to severe persecution, ethnic violence, and systematic discrimination in Myanmar, creating one of the largest protracted refugee crises in the world.

Research on refugees consistently indicates the experiences of displacement, the trauma of forced migration – taking people away from livelihoods and social support structures – and the uncertainty of their future in refugee camps can all profoundly impact mental health.

Understanding the psychosocial effect of forced migration, respecting indigenous knowledge, acknowledging the community’s resilience and their coping strategies in response to displacement are vital for addressing the mental health needs of Rohingya refugees, an estimated 1 million of whom currently reside in Bangladesh.

Advocates of decolonisation approaches propose new insights into mental health conditions and interventions to enhance mental wellbeing among Rohingya adults.

However, there is a lack of research in these domains, and the mental health support that does exist – initiatives from NGOs and aid agencies – draw on Eurocentric frameworks.

Hence, this project aims to develop a holistic and comprehensive psychosocial well-being intervention rooted in the Rohingya community.

Implementing a decolonising framework for practice, policy, and service provision in a way that is moral, democratic, critical, and most importantly meets the needs of Rohingya adults, the project will create urgently needed support resources to address the burden of mental health conditions in Rohingya refugee camps.

In doing so, it will enable Rohingya adults to manage their mental health needs effectively in a cost-effective and sustainable way, that is sensitive to cultural, religious and gendered needs.