There is a wide range of forms and perpetrators of such human rights violations, from obvious ones such as abductions and enslavement of Yezidi women by “non-state actors” such as ISIS/DAESH in Iraq and Syria (9, 10), torture and violence against women and other groups in Iran, or actions frequently described as genocidal against minorities as in Maynmar, or in the people's republic of China. This development is also supported by the abuse of the term of “terrorist” by governments against opposition parties, minorities, and human rights defenders to justify what cannot be justified (11). Understanding how perpetrators are created is important not to justify their actions, but rather to better understand the impact on victims and especially to prevent future violence by early interventions. Further, community and group processes should receive special attention. Vyshka and Çomo have explored this aspect in Albania, a country still haunted by the shadows of a bizarre dictatorship.

In acts of violence affecting large populations as in the Rwanda genocide or atrocities in South Africa and Uganda, new models aim at supporting surviving victims and their family members that often have to live together with perpetrators in the same regions by “transitional” justice models like traditional courts and “justice and reconciliation” committees (12). This is expected to help to recreate post-conflict countries in reconfirmation of civil society and rule of law, and give at the same time psychosocial support and reconfirmation to victims. The needs of victims independent from medical and psychiatric concepts and traditional treatment models or diagnostical categories (13) are often summarized by three key aspects. They include a confirmation of what has happened, as perpetrators frequently deny the reality of atrocities besides their responsibility in these acts. Further survivors and their family members need confirmation that the acts were wrong and cannot be justified, and a guarantee of “non-repetition,” which is linked to the two earlier aspects. Refugees might need more immediate care and reliable protection, at a minimum until the situation in the home country has significantly improved, which might require transitional justice approaches as outlined above.

Trilesnik et al. are presenting the first data on the important international “RefuKey” stepped treatment project for refugee populations. Ekblad presents a model focusing on the factor of health literacy and human rights in displaced populations, as missing this aspect can increase the risk for long-term sequels in these populations.

The present collection of articles in “Frontiers” brings together articles on different so far insufficiently covered aspects of these problems from different regions of the world. We hope to contribute to a broader discussion on the subject and the editors and “Frontiers in Psychiatry” invite you to enjoy the excellent research and considerations presented by our authors.

The above co-authors served as co-editors of the special volume, and have given input to the editorial and the development of the special issue. TW served as the main writer for the editorial. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.