GREY AREAS:Working with Forced Migrants in Kampala: Distress, Trauma and Staff Care in an Institutional Context

This book is the result of a nine-month research (2014/15) which explored work-related distress and transmission of trauma among personnel working with urban forced migrants. Conducted in Kampala, Uganda, this study presents the experiences and perceptions of 16 staff members of Refugee Law Project (RLP), who interact with forced migrants on a daily basis. The book exposes how Compassion Satisfaction (CS) and Compassion Fatigue (CF) - including trauma, distress and burnout - affect the RLP personnel in their daily tasks and in the long term. This work also illustrates the complex nexus between emotional and social dynamics on the one hand (motivation, self-identity and social identity, professional and social role, living conditions and life experiences), and emotional attachment to the clients and personal resilience on the other hand. The RLP personnel find themselves in these "grey areas", between the desire of doing good for the clients and the need to avoid distress and trauma; between personal values and professional principles; and between the need of institutional support and their clashes with the organization's mandate.