Trauma Training for Palestinian Journalists in Gaza

This week, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) will conduct their third workshop in trauma training for journalists since last summer’s war in the Gaza Strip. The workshop will take place at the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Gaza City.

Palestinian journalists demonstrate against last summer's deadly war in Gaza.

Palestinian journalists demonstrate against last summer’s deadly war in Gaza. (Photo: IFJ)

Designed to allow journalists to better manage stress, the two-day training is conducted by experts from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and includes theoretical and practical sessions. The course is part of a larger program focusing on the safety of journalists which was founded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The training consists of different workshops for groups of 15 journalists attending from different media organizations across the region. It aims at enabling participants to release stress by relating to others their personal experiences. The participants also learn some techniques to reduce their levels of stress and to care for themselves through practical exercises.

According to Manal Khamis, the training officer of the PJS-Gaza, “17 journalists were killed in the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. Dozens were injured and some have seen their homes destroyed or have lost loved ones, and all this accumulation of negative experiences has affected their work performance and reduced their activity.” This trauma training is in addition to the extensive safety training program the International Federation of Journalists has been implementing in the Gaza Strip during the last four years. The latest safety courses were held last month when 30 journalists participated in two workshops organized by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.

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