Jana*, a ten year-old Syrian girl, was violently grabbed by a man one day. He threw her by her arm into a pickup with other screaming children. She was taken to force her father to turn himself in. They put her with other children in a dark dungeon, underground, for 22 days. The children were beaten. They were given dirty water and one boiled egg for the whole day. One little boy was beaten to death.

When Jana was released, her mother could barely recognize her. The girl developed severe PTSD symptoms, depression and anxiety. She couldn’t forget the soldier’s face, his big moustache, shaved head. His harsh voice. Jana had nightmares and guilt as she recalled the boy’s voice crying for help as he lay bleeding. When she heard other children at home cry or scream, she would re-experience her trauma.

She couldn’t forget the soldier’s face, his big moustache, shaved head. His harsh voice.”

Jana also had guilt feelings over the death of her father, who was killed after everything. Jana said “I don’t deserve life; my father has been killed because of me.”

Through individual psychotherapy sessions at CVT Jordan, Jana was helped to process her trauma, and she learned how to cope with her fears, isolation and sad mood. Jana also received individual physiotherapy sessions and was referred to a social worker for medical and social needs. She made continuous progress, and now Jana is back to being a child again. She said nothing can frighten her now, having discovered that she’s been courageous. Jana goes to school and wants to become a teacher.  

^*Name and some details have been changed to protect anonymity.

CVT’s work in Jordan is made possible with funding from the US State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, and the United States Agency for International Development/World Learning and the American people’s support, and Open Society Foundation.