EABCT Ethical Statement on Man-Made Humanitarian Crises

December 2025

Our Concern

The European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) expresses its profound concern at the devastating mental-health consequences of man-made humanitarian crises, including those affecting populations in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and other regions experiencing conflict, displacement, and the collapse of essential services.

A growing body of assessments by international legal and human-rights institutions has raised grave concerns regarding violations of international humanitarian law in multiple settings.

In Ukraine, the United Nations Human Rights Council has established an Independent International Commission of Inquiry that has documented widespread violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law. These include unlawful killings, torture and ill-treatment, attacks on civilian infrastructure, forced displacement, and disruption of essential services—all conditions known to produce profound mental-health consequences for affected populations and diaspora communities.

Regarding Gaza, findings by the International Court of Justice and United Nations bodies have raised concerns that the acts documented may meet the criteria for genocide under international law. These assessments describe extensive civilian harm, the destruction of essential services, and severe humanitarian conditions, all of which are associated with acute and long-term psychological trauma.

In Sudan, the ongoing armed conflict since April 2023 has precipitated one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. International agencies have documented mass displacement, widespread violence against civilians, severe food insecurity, the destruction of medical and psychosocial services, and the collapse of essential infrastructure. More than half the population is estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. These conditions place individuals, families, and communities at extreme risk of trauma, grief, anxiety, and long-term psychological harm.

EABCT is also concerned about the psychological impact of terrorism, including the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, the ongoing threat of further attacks, casualties, and the suffering of hostages and their families, as well as the wider distress experienced within affected communities. Terrorism has well-documented mental-health consequences, including heightened and persistent fear, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, disrupted sense of safety, survivor guilt, and complex grief. Such events can have lasting impacts on families, first responders, diaspora communities, and minority groups, and can contribute to collective trauma and intergenerational psychological harm. These effects further compound fear, grief, community polarisation, and identity-based vulnerability.

Armed conflict, displacement, famine, and the collapse of essential services create circumstances that predict high levels of distress, fear, grief, and long-term psychological disorder. These impacts fall squarely within EABCT’s remit as a scientific and clinical community committed to alleviating suffering and promoting wellbeing, through evidence-based Cognitive and Behavioural research and practice.

Our Ethical Foundation

Guided by the EABCT Ethical Charter, we affirm that:

• all people are entitled to dignity, safety, and freedom from suffering
• mental health is inseparable from humanitarian conditions
• our role is humanitarian, scientific, and non-partisan

EABCT does not adjudicate political disputes. However, we recognise that the mental-health consequences of conflict—especially those involving widespread harm to civilians and essential services—are a matter of urgent professional concern.

Psychological Impact

Across these crises, civilians are facing mass casualties, displacement, family separation, hunger, the collapse of health and educational systems, and prolonged exposure to violence and loss. These conditions predict high rates of post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety disorders, complicated grief, and long-term developmental harm for children and adolescents. When access to healthcare, including mental-health services, is severely restricted or destroyed, the consequences are magnified across generations.

This crisis also touches Europe directly. The suffering experienced in effected areas resonates across our communities, particularly among those with family ties, and contributes to rising distress among refugees, migrants, and minority populations. At the same time, Europe is experiencing a surge in far-right and mainstream social movements that amplify racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate. Such movements deepen polarisation, intensify experiences of othering and trauma, and present an urgent challenge to the mental health professions.

Our Professional Responsibilities

Our professional responsibility as a scientific and clinical community is to contribute constructively to human welfare by:

• Promoting evidence-based psychological interventions, such as Psychological First Aid, trauma-focused CBT, and compassion focussed approaches to address the mental health consequences of war and displacement.
• Supporting colleagues and communities affected by conflict through education, training, and promoting empathy and compassion.
• Collaborating internationally to share resources and best practices, in cooperation with the World Confederation of CBT, the Compassionate Mind Foundation, and humanitarian partners.
• Upholding inclusivity, anti-discrimination, compassion and cultural sensitivity in all professional contexts.
• Advocating for peace, dignity, compassion and the conditions necessary for psychological recovery. Such as unimpeded humanitarian access, the protection of civilians, and environments that promote dignity, security, and human rights.

Our Commitment

EABCT stands ready to listen to and support its Member Associations, including colleagues working in or connected to regions affected by humanitarian crises. We will continue to use our collective scientific and clinical expertise to strengthen mental-health responses and promote wellbeing.

Silence in the face of widespread human suffering is incompatible with our ethical commitments. Guided by our shared values, EABCT will continue to act with integrity and compassion in support of dignity, recovery, and peace for all.