Community-Based Treatment Approaches for Organised Violence in Zimbabwe

1. The Efficacy of Treatment Approaches for Victims and Survivors of Organised Violence and Torture within Community-Based Settings in Zimbabwe Eugenia Mpande, Tree of Life & Craig Higson-Smith, Center for Victims of Torture

2. Zimbabwe: Southern Africa

3. Organised Violence and Torture in Zimbabwe Experts estimate that over 1 million Zimbabweans are living with trauma caused by violence, torture and other human rights violations. (RAU:2009) • Liberation Struggle: 1965-1980 • Gukurahundi – Southern Region of Zimbabwe: 1981-1984 • Student protests and food riots in 1990s • Land reform and land “invasions”: 2000-2006 • Operation Murambatsvina: 2005 • Election related violence: 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008 • Civil protests: 2016

4. 2015 – 16: Torture & Violence • Increased reports of abduction & torture • > 660 cases of torture reported 2016 • 3,383 cases violations July - Sept 2016 • 47% violations by Police • Sept 2016: • 9 torture, • 57 assault, • 5 abductions

5. Impact of OVT in Zimbabwe Long term impact on the individual • Unhealed trauma-disempowerment, apathy, helplessness, self blame, shame, depression, anxiety, anger and feelings of vengeance. • Struggling to cope and unable to function normally. • Continuous fear due to (intimidation) threats of present and future violence.

6. Long term impact of OVT on the Community • Traumatised communities- disempowerment, fragmentation, polarisation, paralysing fear, mistrust. • Social disintegration – increased cycles of domestic violence and criminal behaviour. • Resentment, conflict – conflicts escalate. • Disengagement with community development and traditional leadership. • Culture of impunity means that perpetrator often still in community.

7. FRAGMENTATION COMMUNITY MACRO-GRP MICRO-GRP DISEMPOWERMENT IND.

8. About the Tree of Life Trust Tree of Life is a survivor-driven Zimbabwean organisation which provides culturally appropriate, community-based trauma healing to victims of OVT. Our Vision A healed and empowered society that puts its efforts into peace, recovery and reconciliation Who we are: We are a team of 16 core staff (“Small Tree”) & over 100 volunteer community based facilitators (“Big Tree”) spread across 16 Districts in 7 provinces. What we do: • Healing & Empowerment workshops • Psychosocial Awareness & Coping Skills (PACS) workshops • Training and Technical support to communities and to CSO’s • Support to cultural and socio-economic development initiatives • Action Research and Reflection • Collaboration with other CSO’s

9. Conceptual model of healthy communities

10. Two Key Interventions • HEALING WORKSHOPS • Group aims and process • Individuals is social and natural systems • Personal histories and ancestries • Formative childhood experiences and important childhood figures • Revisiting past traumatic experiences individual and shared • Connections to people and the natural world • Inner and inter-personal resources • Moving forward with life • PSYCHO-SOCIAL AWARENESS AND COPING SKILLS (PACS) • Group aims and process • How stress affects individuals, families and communities • Introduction to traumatic stress • Community reactions to traumatic events • Individual strengths and coping • Self-care strategies • Social support and helping others • Closing

11. The impact study AIM: To estimate the impact of two TOL interventions on emotional and interpersonal functioning of torture survivors. HYPOTHESES Healing intervention > PACS workshop Both interventions > no treatment comparison MEASURES Emotional Functioning- Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) (α=0.8) Interpersonal Functioning – Zimbabwe Community Life Questionnaire (ZCLQ) (α=0.85)

12. The impact study (cont.) THE COMMUNITIES 194 survivors from two neighbouring rural communities with a high incidence and similar histories of organized violence and torture. (Intact groups design) ASSESSMENTS Intake, 2 month and 5 month follow up Conducted by blind assessors ANALYSIS Repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc, multiple comparisons Cohen’s D effect size estimates

16. Conclusions • The no treatment group showed a slight positive effect on emotional functioning. • Benefits of assessment and contact with caring others • Both interventions demonstrated strong positive effects on emotional functioning. • Both interventions demonstrated modest positive effects on interpersonal functioning. • Harder to shift interpersonal relationships, • Ceiling effect on the ZCLQ • TOL intervention did not demonstrate stronger effects than the PACS intervention • Common therapeutic factors – empathy, support, listening, etc. • Same facilitator team unable to unlearn core counselling behaviours

17. Recommendations • Acknowledging that trauma is collective and societal, there is a clear need for community-based trauma healing interventions to complement the conventional clinical/ medical model, especially in communities with nested historical harms. • Funders in the trauma healing sector (and others!) should support community-based trauma healing for long term impact. • The ToL survivor-driven approach, which is structured and mentored, works because survivors have the personal experience that leads to commitment and sustainability. • In Zimbabwe, that Government adopts this model, which can be scaled up for national healing, peace-building and reconciliation.

18. Testimony A traumatised woman who was tortured and also witnessed the brutal murder and dismemberment of her uncle reflected: “My situation got better when I attended the TOL workshop … I got to share and listen… I am now a leader and apply the skills I learnt. Every individual is important and becomes stronger if we cooperate as a family and community”.

19. Eugenia MpandeCraig Higson-Smith Programme Manager, Tree of Life Director of Research, CVT Email: eugeniampande@tolzim.org Email: chigsonsmith@cvt.org Website: http://www.tolzim.org Website: http://www.cvt.org Thank You