Mr. A. (name has been anonymized to protect his privacy) comes from Nigeria, is 27 years old and has already had to experience a lot of bad things in his life. Even as a child, he had to learn to fight his way through. Both his parents were killed in a motorcycle accident when he was still a baby. He was then taken in by an uncle, who mistreated him and eventually threw him out onto the street with serious injuries. He lived under a bridge for two years until a friend told him that it was easier to find work in Libya. Full of hope, he set off in search of work and a better life. Unfortunately, things turned out differently. He was kidnapped by a criminal gang in Libya and abused for several days. He was supposed to buy his freedom with money, but was unable to offer his kidnappers anything. Mr. A. was therefore severely beaten with logs and weapons for two months. As a result of the abuse, he lost his hearing. When he no longer responded to being spoken to, he was left bleeding on the street to die. Mr. A. was only 21 years old at the time.
But Mr. A. did not die. Instead, he picked himself up and carried on despite his deafness. He was afraid of being abducted again and dying the next time. He could only communicate with those around him by writing. An acquaintance wrote on a piece of paper: "Why don't you go to Italy, they'll help you with your ears there - instead of staying here, where people are killed like animals."
So Mr. A. went to Italy, again hoping for better opportunities and health care. But here too, no one cared about his hearing problems. He had developed a trauma disorder as a result of the many bad experiences, which led to physical pain and sleepless nights. His ears were also in severe pain. Mr. A. lived on the street, without support and without medical care. He could not hear attackers coming and could not protect himself from them. Eventually he set off again, this time to Germany, where he arrived in 2018. His journey had already lasted three years by this point.
In March 2019, he arrived in the district of Ludwigsburg, where he was first accommodated in a large refugee shelter and then in municipal accommodation. A visit to the district's trauma clinic confirmed that A. was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Even worse than the nightmares, however, is his hearing impairment, which not only constantly reminds him of the terrible experiences, but also leads to constant restrictions in his daily life. Although he was able to lip-read in English, his deafness prevented him from attending a language course. Nevertheless, he is an inquisitive young man who wants to get ahead in life and does not let his limitations stop him.
The integration manager at the Ludwigsburg District Office supported Mr. A with the next steps. Unfortunately, the hoped-for ear operation has not yet been carried out, as his prospects of staying in Germany are still unclear and it is not certain that the intensive hearing training required afterwards can be completed. It has not yet been possible for the responsible authorities to agree to let him stay in Germany for the duration of the training.
The integration management team managed to find a special integration course for deaf people. Mr A. has been able to learn German writing as well as sign language there since April 2021. As the special course is only offered in Heidelberg, temporary accommodation was organized on site. The foreigners authority, benefits department, the asylum social service of the district office and the municipality have worked together to enable Mr A. to participate, also to establish social contacts with other hearing-impaired people. He also receives help from teachers who can advise him on everyday issues.
He communicates with his integration manager via email and started writing his emails in German after just a few weeks on the course. Mr. A. still dreams of being able to hear again at some point. As long as this is not possible, he will wait and attend his language course. He hopes to finally get a chance to build a life for himself. The integration management team is supporting him along the way.
Background: The trauma consultation hour in the district of Ludwigsburg
The Integration Management / Pact for Integration is a broad network of the Workers' Welfare Association, Caritas, the District Deaconry Association, the District Association of the German Red Cross and the Ludwigsburg District Office and aims to integrate refugees.
As in the case of Mr. A., some people have had traumatic experiences before or during their flight, which in some cases make targeted assistance necessary. Advising and supporting these people and their tragic biographies is also often a challenge for integration managers.
This is why the district has been offering a monthly trauma consultation since mid-2019. This gives care professionals the opportunity to introduce traumatized people or to seek advice themselves.
The consultation involves a one-off assessment by a qualified specialist and the planning of further necessary steps. Dr. Jürgen Knieling, medical director of the psychosomatic clinic in Bietigheim-Bissingen, has been recruited for this task.
At the end of the trauma consultation, a diagnosis is made and the necessary further steps to stabilize the refugee are assessed. In addition to the recommendation of necessary medical or therapeutic treatment, this may also include recommendations for subsequent socio-educational support.
The integration management team incorporates the jointly discussed recommendation into the individual support planning and accompanies the traumatized person through the next steps.
