Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Calls for counselling for victims of ferry tragedy

Calls for counselling for victims of ferry tragedy

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Yim Sotheary, a psychotherapist and director of Sneha Centre. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Calls for counselling for victims of ferry tragedy

Following the ferry sinking which claimed the lives of 11 school children in Loeuk Dek district of Kandal province, psychologists have asked that relevant institutions provide counselling to the survivors, fearing the event may have traumatised them.

Yim Sotheary, director of the Sneha Centre, said that the event would have long lasting effects on the survivors and their families. They may experience insomnia, anxiety and nightmares, all of which are normal reactions to these kinds of events, so specialists should be on hand to assist them with their mental health.

“Consultations with mental health experts should be arranged as soon as possible, so they can express their emotions and understand them. If they are treated at an early stage, their trauma may be minimised,” she added.

She said that if symptoms persist for six or seven weeks, the children may develop serious mental illnesses.

“I ask that the government and civil society organisations provide assistance as soon as possible. The right thing to do is provide individual or group counselling for the survivors and family members,” Sotheary added.

Meas Sa Im, deputy head of ADHOC's Women's and Children's Rights Section, said that the incident will affect the feelings of the children because experienced it so recently, and were close to the dead.

“For the immediate time being, they will see pictures of the disaster in their heads. We know that some media outlets attempted to talk to them about what happened. The correct thing to do would be to leave them alone, and not have them replay it over and over – the victims’ interests should be above the desire of media companies to attract ratings, or views,” she said.

She said children would remain in shock for some time, and the memories were likely to remain with them into adulthood.

“Immediately after the incident, the victims should be provided with support. Parents should closely monitor their children’s emotions,” she said, adding that the authorities and NGOs should provide financial and mental health support to the victims and their families. Swimming lessons should also be offered widely.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to