Stakeholders should intensify trauma healing programmes in the communities, Dr Harriet Hill, former director of Trauma Healing Institute, has stated.

She said such programmes would sup-port victims during trauma periods.

Dr Hill gave the advice at this year's Trauma Healing Community of practice Conference in Accra yesterday, aimed at discussing trauma issues, exchanging ideas and seeking ways to reduce them.

The programme, the second of its kind, was under the auspices of the Bible Society of Ghana (BSG) and in collaboration with the Trauma Healing Institute.

It was on the theme "Recognising and responding to societal abuse".

Participants were drawn from Bible soci-ety groups from churches, security agencies and countries such as Congo Brazzaville, Tanzania, Nigeria, Liberia, Niger, Mali, Mozambique, America, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Cameroon.

Dr Hill commended stakeholders for their contributions over the years and urged them not to rest on the oars to ensure that victims of trauma were protected.

A former Second Lady of Ghana, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, said the confer-ence was aimed at bringing together trained stakeholders to share ideas and impact others.

She said their focus was to reach out to all communities in the country.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur urged victims of trauma to speak up for support.

"Don't suffer alone, it can lead to depres-sion or being suicidal, reach out to us and get the needed help," she added.

The General Secretary of BSG, Rev. Dr Enoch Aryee-Atta, urged the public to show love and assist traumatised per-sons in the society, adding that "service to humanity gets people closer to God and offer their lives to Him"