Why nicaragua
Nicaragua is the poorest nation in Central America and 2nd poorest in the western hemisphere.
Mental Health Accessibility:
In Nicaragua there are few psychological centers focused on general trauma itself. There are some organizations that focus more on helping women who have been victims of violence (physical, psychological and sexual) and what they do is provide psychological and in some cases legal support.
Known Sexual Abuse Statistics from 2018:
In the year 2018, the national police collected 1,787 complaints for crimes against sexual freedom and integrity, while the overall consolidated expert reports carried out by the Institute of Legal Medicine in 2018, mention that 3,322 cases were carried out on minors under 17 years of age.
Attacks against minors were more frequent. Of the total number of complaints received by the police institution for crimes against freedom of sexual integrity, 1,318 cases were committed against minors, 578 cases were complaints committed against minors under the age of 13, 318 cases were complaints for crimes committed against minors between the ages of 13 and 14, and 422 case complaints for crimes committed against minors aged 15-17 years.
The Institute of Legal Medicine carried out a total of 4,085 cases of expert reports for sexual violence in 2018, according to the latest update published by the coordinating federation of Nicaraguan NGOs that works with children and adolescents, with data from the IML and the National Police. (Cruz, 2019)
Those in the mental health community know that most victims of sexual abuse do not report it. So we know that the statistics are actually much higher.
From the traumatic history of Nicaragua to the trauma that is inherent in poverty along with domestic violence we can see that increasing the knowledge of trauma effects and recovery in Nicaragua will make a difference in all communities.
From the outstanding attendance of our conference I could tell that those in the helping professions of Nicaragua are hungry for knowledge and skill, however, it is important to understand the limitations of such a quest in the poorest country in Central America. It is also imperative to understand that in general, most mental health research and publications are almost exclusively produced and written in the English language and with a westernized cultural focus. Westernized cultures have within them language and basic understandings of mental health constructs due to easily accessible resources. Rarely is that material translated into Spanish let alone imparted to Latin America with a cross-cultural understanding. Trauma Recovery Center Nicaragua is here to help bridge that gap.
