Thousands of displaced children living under the shadow ethnic conflict in Manipur

 IMPHAL: Around 12,700 children are living with their displaced parents and guardians in relief camps across ethnic violence-hit Manipur, officials said here on Friday.

The officials of the Social Welfare Department, who compiled data on children staying in different relief camps, said that out of around 12,700 children, 100 are severely traumatised needing professional counselling.

The Director of the Social Welfare Department, Ngangom Uttam Singh, said: "A child may not get traumatised immediately. But that trauma can come up after one week or even a month. Whenever our teams visiting the camps find such severely traumatised children, they identify them and take them to professional counselors.

"We've done this for little more than 100 children. We hope that this number does not increase and these traumatised children become normal very soon."

To address the mental health issues of the displaced children, counselors are deployed through the District Children Protection Office in every district.

They visit children's homes and relief camps to give counselling and to identify children who actually require professional help.

The department has a team of qualified medical practitioners and child psychiatrists working as volunteers who aid in providing professional counselling to those who are severely traumatised, Singh said. (IANS)

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