Living Conditions in Refugee Camps from 1975-1990s
1975-1979 From 1975 through 1979 (Khmer Rouge regime), more than 85% of Cambodians reported lack of food, water, shelter, and medical care, brainwashing, and forced labor. Around 54% reported murder of a family member or friend; 36% reported torture; 18% reported head injury. 17% of Cambodians reported rape or sexual abuse.
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1980-1990 During the refugee period between 1980 and 1990, 56% of Cambodians reported lack of food or water. About 44% reported lack of shelter and 28% reported lack of medical care. 24% reported brainwashing and 8% reported torture. Since 1980, reports of murder of a family member, head injury, and rape/sexual abuse have decreased to 5%. Reports of experiencing combat situations and shelling attacks have remained consistent between the two time periods, approximately 44% and 30%, respectively.
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1989-1990 From 1989 to 1990, 25% reported experiencing lack of food or water, and 5% to 10% reported serious injury, combat, and shelling conditions. More than 80% said they were in fair or poor health, felt depressed, and had a number of somatic complaints despite good access to medical services. Fifty-five percent and 15% had symptom scores that correlate with Western criteria for depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Fifteen percent to 20% reported health impairments limiting activity, and moderate or severe bodily pain.
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Health & Medicine in Camps Refugees crossing the Thai- Cambodian border are eligible for food shelter and medicine but not resettlement. Services provided Thailand’s refugee camps provided a vary great deal among camps. Refugee camps are afforded bare essentials- food shelter and acute medical care- whereas those houses in camps away from the border, who were being processed for resettlement to third countries have extensive health care programs, healing centres, recreational facilities, schools and language programs. Acute medical problems for refugees include malnutrition, infectious disease and war related trauma. Each requires a rapid and sustained response from the international medical community.Refugees crossing the Thai- Cambodian border are eligible medicine. Georgetown university and the State University of Buffalo, New york have sent medical teams consisting of medical students, resident and attending physicians to work in Cambodian Refugee Camps in Thailand since 1979.
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