Most of the
unaccompanied children we see are from Afghanistan (roughly half of all
unaccompanied children in the UK are from Afghanistan), nearly all of them
boys. Most of them have witnessed atrocities in their homeland and the death of
family members.
Most, too, have had long, tortuous journeys overland to get to
the UK. Common emotional problems include anger, fear, fear of their anger getting
out of control, fear of the Home Office, fear of demons, acute anxiety,
depression and suicidal thoughts, bereavement at the loss or disappearance of
close family members, nightmares, being punished by God.
You can read more in
the stories below and the astonishing story of Reza on page 14 of our 2011 annual review, which you can download here: http://www.solace-uk.org.uk/images/pdfs/SolaceAnnualReview2011.pdf
