To the Editor:Re “Trading Fear at Home for Misery on America’s Doorstep” (news article, Oct. 24):I read with interest about the horrific tragedies that caused some Central American refugee families to seek asylum in the United States: For most displaced families, trauma has a long afterlife, creating long-lasting harm for survivors and their offspring. And experiences during their protracted journey for asylum can be more detrimental to refugees’ mental health than the traumatic events that forced their leaving. Besides the United States’ international legal obligation to adhere to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it needs to be farsighted and informed in its approach to the world’s most vulnerable by doing its utmost to reduce refugee families’ exposure to trauma to enable their integration when they resettle in their future host societies. Creating safety for refugee families should be both humanitarian and strategic priorities for all societies. Shaifali SandhyaChicagoThe writer is a psychologist investigating trauma in refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who are seeking resettlement in Germany.

Source: International New York Times November 03, 2020 20:03 UTC