“My Son Is Alive”: Is Family Therapy Appropriate for Families of the Disappeared in Sri Lanka?

Abstract

Families of the disappeared need to appear before commissions that are 'therapeutic' not commissions that will further increase their distress. Many people, have been disappointed that they did not get answers to their questions. Where is their loved one? Is he dead or is he alive? Due to the uncertainty about whether their family member is alive or dead, families have suffered from ambiguous loss. Commissions have been unprepared to respond to the questions and to deal with families' distress, leaving them in a state of limbo. Persons distressed by their experiences will require support to share their experiences and opinions. For example, people living in the various conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka may find it unsafe to name perperatators, to describe their experiences and to share their hopes for justice and reconciliation. Extreme caution has to be taken to ensure the safety and security of respondents when undertaking any attempt to access people's hopes and aspirations for feelings of justice and for reconciliation following their experience of violation'. The psychosocial sector in Sri Lanka has no expertise in Family Therapy. However, it recognizes the importance the role family relationships can play in the recovery process of families of the disappeared. This paper argues however, that in the case of Sri Lanka, and in particularly in relation to the families of the disappeared, that it is important to consider a broader framework for support, that first attempts to respond to collective, societal concerns and gradually moves to family relationships and eventually reaches the individual. Family therapists interested in working and understanding reconciliation mechanisms in post war countries also must recognize the nature in which these instruments exist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)