“CONDEMNED” is a project undertaken by photojournalist Robin Hammond and it sets out the challenges faced in Somalia and the Dadaab refugee camps in dealing with the problem of mental health and Somali living with mental disorders. It is estimated that in war-tom Somalia, with a population of 8 million people, one person out of three has been affected by some kind of mental illness. Yet in the entire country there are only three psychiatrists working in mental health facilities. By contrast, the United Kingdom has one psychiatrist for every 10,000 people.
Most of the incidences of mental illness are caused by a traumatic event. Mental health care in Somalia often relies on placing people in jails or hospitals, where they are regularly chained to the wall or walk around with shackles. Conditions in many of these settings are deplorable. They violate an individual’s right to be treated humanely and live a life of dignity. The mentally ill in these jails and hospitals are forced to live a life of incarceration.
The exhibition has been supported by the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, GRT, OCHA Somalia and European Commission.