Citation

Kirmayer LJ. Transcult. Psychiatry 2007; 44(3): 307-310.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, McGill University, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1363461507081633

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Most of the articles in this issue of Transcultural Psychiatry stem from the 6th annual McGill Advanced Study Institute in Cultural Psychiatry on 'Refugees and forced migration: Human rights and mental health services,' which took place in Montreal, June 1-2, 2006. The conference and workshop brought together an international group of scholars from anthropology, sociology, law, public health, psychiatry and psychology to examine the mental health of asylum seekers, refugees and internally displaced peoples, as well as the impact of human trafficking.

Recent years have seen profound changes in the situation of refugees. While the number of people enduring violence and displacement continues to increase, receiving countries have become less welcoming. Anxieties about security and social integration have been used to justify more restrictive migration policies and the harsh treatment of people seeking asylum (Fekete, 2005). In many places, this has resulted in a decrease in the numbers of people applying for refugee status and in people seeking asylum within countries of safe haven. The decrease in numbers could be taken as an indication of less need but, in fact, it largely reflects the impact of policies of deterrence and exclusion.

Language: en