Geneva: Speakers at a sideline event during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighted the severe psychological toll of the ongoing Kashmir conflict, warning that the decades-long dispute has triggered a mental health crisis in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the event was organized by the International Muslim Women Union (IMWU), Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR), and International Women and Children Union (IWCU), bringing together prominent human rights activists, legal experts, and academicians. Chairman of KIIR, Altaf Hussain Wani, emphasized the significant impact of armed conflicts on mental health, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as women and children. He noted widespread PTSD, anxiety, and depression among Kashmiris, exacerbated by violence, displacement, and loss.
Speakers at the event reported alarming mental health statistics, revealing that 37% of adult males and 50% of adult females in Kashmir suffer from psychological distress, with an increase in suicidal tendencies among the youth. The ongoing conflict has resulted in disrupted development, lack of education, and prolonged trauma for children.
Experts criticized India’s systematic use of violence and repression in IIOJK, highlighting the plight of thousands of Kashmiri women who have faced torture, sexual violence, and psychological abuse, and the numerous children who have been orphaned. Despite recognizing mental health as a fundamental human right, the speakers lamented the lack of access to psychological care due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure, stigma, and insufficient policies.
The event called on the international community to integrate mental health services into humanitarian responses and recognize mental well-being as a core human rights issue in conflict zones. Participants included former European Parliament member Julie Carolyn Ward, Dr. Carrie Pemberton Ford of the CCARHT Counter Trafficking Centre, Carolyn Handschin Moser, Ms. Shamim Shawl, Stella Harris of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, Dr. Abida Rafique, among others, and was moderated by KIIR chief Altaf Hussain Wani.