Cambodia's Hidden Scars: Trauma Psychology in the Wake of the Khmer Rouge

Abstract

This text explores the profound impact of war and genocide on human psychology with a focus on Cambodia and the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). Interdisciplinary in nature, this edited volume presents the current research on the impact of trauma not only on survivors' mental health processes but also on the ability of survivors to participate in legal processes, such as the trials of surviving members of the Khmer Rouge before the ECCC. Chapters address post-traumatic stress disorder and the inter-generational transmission of trauma, civil party participation and reparations, and gaps in Cambodia's mental health services. It closes with concrete proposals for reform of Cambodia's mental health system. Volume II, which adds chapters on the way in which mental health evidence been reflected in the jurisprudence of the ECCC, is forthcoming.

Keywords: Cambodia, trauma, international criminal law, international courts, human rights, genocide, crimes against humanity, psychology, psychiatry, post-traumatic stress disorder

JEL Classification: I18, I12, I31, K14, K33, K41, K42