Reading in Speyer: Hope despite trauma - children in Gaza in focus

Reading in Speyer: Hope despite trauma - children in Gaza in focus

On October 16, 2025, there is an important event in Speyer, which deals with the painful psychological effects of the war on children in Gaza. Katrin Glatz Brubakk, an experienced child psychotherapist and head of mental health activities at doctors without borders, will read from her current book "Diary from Gaza". This event is organized by the control group "Speyer without racism - Speyer with Courage", which has been committed to promoting a respectful and intercultural society since 2015. The aim is to create space for encounter and discussion about the urgent topics of anti -Semitism, anti -Muslim racism and transgenerational trauma. Entry takes place on a donation base, a registration is recommended so that visitors can benefit from the event in full.

Brubakk's reading is not only informative, but also deeply touching. She is based on her experience from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where she worked with traumatized children in autumn 2024. The dramatic location in Gaza has further exacerbated since October 7, 2023 when a wave of bombing made civil areas unsafe. According to a study by Save the Children, up to 80 % of children in the region show symptoms of emotional stress. It is alarming that about half of these children express suicidal thoughts and three out of five are classified as self -harmful or risky. The fate of the seven-year-old Hala, who lives in the SOS Children's Village in Rafah and lost her family in November 2023 through the dreaded air raids, is an example of these devastating circumstances.

The consequences of war on the youth

The mental health crisis in Gaza not only impacts the here and now, but also affects future generations. Dr. Ali Jawaid, a neuroscientist, is deeply interested in the long-term consequences of childhood trauma and the concept of transgenerational trauma. This describes how psychological wounds can be passed on from one generation to the next. In a polluted environment like Gaza, children are not only exposed to massive psychological stress, but also live in a constant state of fear and insecurity. They suffer from nightmares and insomnia, which significantly affects their development.

The need for faster measures to support these children is burning. The medical director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Ulm, Professor Jörg Fegert, emphasizes that psychotherapeutic help is essential for children with severe psychological stress. An overview for the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP) could serve as a general guideline for the psychosocial care of affected children. Your development in such an environment is anything but normal, and systematic support is the key, not only for the current situation, but also for the future of these children.

A call to solidarity

The upcoming reading in Speyer is therefore not only a literary event, but also a valuable contribution to sensitization for the fates of children in the Gaza Strip. The appeal to the international community and the political decision -makers are clear: it takes an immediate and permanent ceasefire to take into account the basic needs of the children. The dialogue about these topics can help heal the inner wounds and create an urgently needed perspective for the future.

For all interested parties, the reading finds in the Brilliant Spaces Speyer instead, situed in Johannessstraße 6a, Speyer. Everything will start at 6:30 p.m., and every euro that will be donated flows into a good thing - psychological support for children in crisis areas.

Further information on the profound effects of conflicts on child psychology can be found in the analysis of Scientia likes and the explanations of the psychosocial care of children at the University Hospital Ulm, which are explained in detail in their Article on the effects of war.