{"id":10149,"date":"2022-07-13T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T06:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=10149"},"modified":"2022-06-28T15:08:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T14:08:13","slug":"the-dark-horse-in-refugee-contexts-sport-as-the-missing-piece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2022\/07\/13\/the-dark-horse-in-refugee-contexts-sport-as-the-missing-piece\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Dark Horse\u2019 in Refugee Contexts: Sport as the Missing Piece"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sport offers a unique combination of mental and physical health benefits and should be a routine component of aid in refugee contexts.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this blog we explain that the plight of refugees has rarely been more publicly visible than it is today. With the complex challenges refugees face, sport can be the missing piece to typical, survival-oriented humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n

Refugees and Humanitarian Aid<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2021, over 84 million people worldwide were forced or obliged to leave their homes \u00a0(UNHCR, 2021<\/a>). Included in this displaced population are refugees, who \u201chave fled war, violence,\u00a0conflict\u00a0or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country\u201d (UNHCR, 2021<\/a>). These individuals and families have unique and often traumatising experiences that force them to leave their homes. Traveling sometimes hundreds of miles to seek safety and resettling in a new place and culture, refugees can develop physical and mental health issues that threaten their overall well-being [1,2]. It can be difficult for refugees to seek help for such issues whilst fleeing, and even after they\u2019ve arrived at their destination [3]. Immigration policy can also prevent displaced individuals from getting the help they need. This puts additional pressure on global, national, and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to step in and help where governmental policies will not<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many humanitarian and\/or emergency aid NGOs help meet the basic needs of asylum-seekers and refugees by providing food, water, clothing, and shelter [4]. As Maslow\u2019s hierarchy would have it, aid organisations focus on the pyramid\u2019s foundation by taking care of refugees\u2019 physical survival. While this is undoubtedly necessary, an additional need should also be addressed in humanitarian contexts: refugees\u2019 mental health and psychological-social support (MHPSS) [5].<\/p>\n

Refugee Mental Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

Until recently, mental health was hardly a concern for countries hosting refugees\u2014or even refugees themselves. Many refugees are unlikely to seek help for mental health due to cultural stigma, despite having symptoms of severe stress or even post-traumatic stress (PTSD) [2,6]. Again, the top priority for humanitarian NGOs has always been physical survival. But neglecting mental health is arguably as deadly as neglecting physical health. What is needed in humanitarian contexts is a way to address the holistic<\/em> well-being of refugees, including physical and mental health, and psychosocial support.<\/p>\n

The Role of Sport<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enter sport, which is currently the dark horse in humanitarian and MHPSS contexts. Exercise-based programmes have been used for refugees\u2019 mental health improvement [7,8] but sport programmes are not as common. Despite sport\u2019s global reach and popularity, the humanitarian sector rarely considers or utilises it to help refugee populations. Rather, sport is seen as a luxury and an afterthought when compared to food, water, and shelter. The potential of sport to contribute to mental health and psychosocial support outcomes in refugee humanitarian contexts is still quite new and tenuous, as research evidence is playing catch-up to positive, anecdotal evidence (read Peace and Sport<\/a>; listen to All in the Mind<\/a>). While the academic literature on the intersection between mental health and refugees is growing [5], once sport is added to the mix, the literature nearly disappears.<\/p>\n

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Figure 1.<\/strong> An adaptation of Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs as it pertains to sport and humanitarian contexts with refugees.<\/p>\n

Knowing that sport has not been thoroughly integrated with the humanitarian and MHPSS contexts is both promising and daunting. It is promising because there is, consequently, space for practitioners and researchers to investigate and apply programmes that can support refugees\u2019 holistic well-being. On the other hand, it can be daunting to work with refugees in humanitarian contexts with little evidence to validate one\u2019s work. To merge sport, humanitarianism and MHPSS, an integrated approach with experts from various disciplines (e.g., psychology, sport, public health) is needed. It seems that overarching governing bodies like the United Nations General Secretary and the World Health Organisation recognise the potential of sport<\/a>, but visible action is still in the works.<\/p>\n

A Way Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

To help stimulate such action, the Olympic Refuge Foundation<\/a> (ORF) was established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The ORF\u2019s vision is a \u2018society where everyone belongs, through sport\u2019 and its mission is to \u2018shape a movement that ensures young people affected by displacement thrive through (safe) sport.\u2019 The ORF also connects sport, sport for development\/protection and humanitarian actors through the Sport for Refugees Coalition (co-convened with the IOC, UNHCR and the SCORT Foundation), and runs sport for protection programmes worldwide for young, displaced people and their host communities. A number of ORF initiatives are focused specifically on the role of sport in supporting MHPSS outcomes for young people affected by displacement, including the work of the ORF Think Tank and the ORF funded Game Connect programme in Uganda (delivered by the AVSI Foundation in consortium with Right to Play, Youth Sport Uganda, the Uganda Olympic Committee and UNHCR). The authors\u2019 connections with and knowledge of the ORF sparked the ideas shared in this article.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n