Arts, Mental Health, and Forced Displacement

Introduction

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that in 2021 global forced displacement likely exceeded 84 million, a sharp increase from the 82.4 million reported at the end of 2020. As a result of the war in Ukraine, so far more than 4.8 million people are believed to have fled the country, while over 7.1 million more people remaining in the country are thought to be displaced from their homes. Around the world, people who are displaced because of natural disasters, persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations have invariably experienced significant loss, physical hardships, and other stressors that can result in psychological distress. 

The UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings outlines many important ways that governments and other relevant actors can support the mental health and wellbeing of forcibly displaced people. Access to and engagement with the arts is included in this framework of relevant activities to improve health and wellbeing, promoting multiple different psychological, behavioural, and social processes. For example, arts activities can improve self-confidence, promote healthy behaviours as well as social inclusion and, importantly, offer hope.

Key Points

• Globally, an estimated 84 million people were forcibly displaced in 2021. Up to and including the first half of 2022, more than 11.9 million people have had to leave their homes because of the war in Ukraine alone
• Arts activities can play a role in psychological, behavioural and social processes that are linked to improved mental wellbeing, such as supporting the preservation of personal identity, heritage, and experience
• Engagement in arts activities can positively impact forcibly displaced people, as well as their host communities, by promoting social inclusion, social cohesion, social acceptance, and belonging
• Artistic expression is an indicator of and a contributor to vibrant, resilient, and healthy societies. Investment in the arts means investment in the wellbeing and social cohesion of both forcibly displaced people and their host communities