Around 23 percent of Cambodian adults suffer from stress disorders related to trauma experienced under the Khmer Rouge, a psychiatrist told “Hello VOA” Thursday.
Muny Sothara, a technical advisor at the Transcultural Psycho-social Organization, said the Khmer Rouge continues to have an impact on Cambodian society, families and individuals.
“The impacts either directly or indirectly still exist until the present,” he said.
A number of factors can help, he said, including receiving a sense of justice, finding employment, education, and living in an environment free from fear. Social support networks too can help survivors recover from their trauma, he said.
Asked whether the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal might bring justice to survivors, Muny Sothara said if the court “ultimately finds justice… subsequently the justice will help in the healing process.”