BEIRUT, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern borders has traumatized many displaced children, a psychiatrist working with them said.
Lillian Hamdan said that adolescent children are most vulnerable, as they lack the mental and emotional skills to cope with such situations.
"They need gradual treatment through sessions that analyze emotions, thoughts, and behavior," she said.
Israel bombed more than 90 villages and towns in southern Lebanon, a UN report said. The Lebanese health ministry and a migration agency said over 83,000 people fled the border areas.
Local and international donors, with the social affairs ministry, launched a program this month to offer psychological support. The program runs seven mobile clinics that visit the shelters of displaced people in southern Lebanon.
Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar said the program aimed to help the children overcome terror, displacement, bombing, and lack of education.
Social activist Rana el Asmar said her organization arranged entertainment and sports activities for children in displacement centers in Tyre, Nabatieh, and Hasbaya. It also gave out toys and gifts to ease their anxiety and stress.
"The children are in a state of loss, fear and hesitation," she said. "They cannot control their feelings with what they see on TV about the war, especially what happened to the children of Gaza."
She said the children were also confused by being away from their homes and schools and worried about missing their academic year.
At a hotel in Hasbaya that houses displaced families, Jalal Qasab, 50, feared for the future of his three children, who left their homes and schools because of the border clashes.
"Why do these children have to pay the price by living in deprivation, terror and anxiety?" he asked.
Fatima Mesheimish, 55, said the war deeply affected her four children, who saw the violence and hardship of displacement. "They have become lost, unable to control their feelings," she said. ■
