Displacement, Gender-Based Development, and Grave Violations Against Children in Armed Conflict: The Case of Iraq

Development policies advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda enjoy an established trajectory across international organizations. This is evident within United Nations programs that engage displaced populations where children are particularly vulnerable to conflict dynamics. This article argues that existing gender-based development policies mitigate the impact of conflict on children through empowering displaced women as peacebuilding agents. Using United Nations data, fieldwork, and elite interviews, this article employs a case study of Iraq to show that the implementation of gender-based development policies correlates with reduced rates of grave violations against children in conflict settings. These findings point to the peacebuilding potential of displaced women through their ability to mitigate the economic and social impacts of conflict dynamics on children. Policy programs within the United Nations Women, Peace and Security framework should engage this connection between displaced women and the protection of children to strengthen and improve peacebuilding outcomes in conflict environments.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and retrospective mortality in a refugee camp, Dagahaley, Kenya

Background Camps of forcibly displaced populations are considered to be at risk of large COVID-19 outbreaks. Low screening rates and limited surveillance led us to conduct a study in Dagahaley camp, located in the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya to estimate SARS-COV-2 seroprevalence and, mortality and to identify changes in access to care during the pandemic. Methods To estimate seroprevalence, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of individuals (n = 587) seeking care at the two main health centres and among all household members (n = 619) of community health workers and traditional birth attendants working in the camp. A rapid immunologic assay was used (BIOSYNEX® COVID‐19 BSS [IgG/IgM]) and adjusted for test performance and mismatch between the sampled population and that of the general camp population. To estimate mortality, all households (n = 12860) were exhaustively interviewed in the camp about deaths occurring from January 2019 through March 2021. Results In total 1206 participants were included in the seroprevalence study, 8% (95% CI: 6.6%-9.7%) had a positive serologic test. After adjusting for test performance and standardizing on age, a seroprevalence of 5.8% was estimated (95% CI: 1.6%-8.4%). The mortality rate for 10,000 persons per day was 0.05 (95% CI 0.05–0.06) prior to the pandemic and 0.07 (95% CI 0.06–0.08) during the pandemic, representing a significant 42% increase (p<0.001). Médecins Sans Frontières health centre consultations and hospital admissions decreased by 38% and 37% respectively. Conclusion The number of infected people was estimated 67 times higher than the number of reported cases. Participants aged 50 years or more were among the most affected. The mortality survey shows an increase in the mortality rate during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. A decline in attendance at health facilities was observed and sustained despite the easing of restrictions.

Situation Analysis of Nation Building Efforts in Sri Lanka: From Early Years of Independence to Contemporary Days

Despite the smooth transition of power from the British colonists to the Sri Lankan Sinhalese in 1949, Sri Lanka inherited considerable challenges. There has been conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils post-independence which led to a long and brutal civil war from 1983 to 2009. After the culmination of the civil war, Sri Lanka confronted numerous obstacles in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country. Drawing from Birch’s model of national integration, this study attempts to examine the diverse political, economic, and social challenges facing Sri Lanka. The review shows that Sri Lanka needs critical nation building in the following areas: (i) Infrastructural development, (ii) Resettlements and rehabilitation of displaced populations (iii) Ethnic and religious integration, (iv) Equality in political representation, (v) Educational and employment policies, (vi) Gender equality policies, and (vii) mental health interventions for children and women. The role of international bodies, like the United Nations Human Rights Council, and neighboring countries is key to creating pressure for national integration and growth. There is fear that if national unity is not at the forefront of state and international policy for Sri Lanka, conflict and instability may arise again.

Disaster displacement and zoonotic disease dynamics: The impact of structural and chronic drivers in Sindh, Pakistan

Projected increases in human and animal displacement driven by climate change, disasters and related environmental degradation will have significant implications to global health. Pathways for infectious disease transmission including zoonoses, diseases transmitted between animals and humans, are complex and non-linear. While forced migration is considered an important driver for the spread of zoonoses, actual disease dynamics remain under researched. This paper presents the findings of a case study investigating how disaster displacement affected zoonotic disease transmission risk following the 2010 ‘superfloods’ in Sindh province, Pakistan. We interviewed 30 key informants and 17 household members across 6 rural communities between March and November 2019, supported by observational studies and a review of secondary data. Results were analysed using the ecosocial theoretical framework. Buffalo, cattle and goats were often the only moveable asset, therefore livestock was an important consideration in determining displacement modality and destination location, and crowded locations were avoided to protect human and animal health. Meanwhile however, livestock was rarely included in the humanitarian response, resulting in communities and households fragmenting according to the availability of livestock provisions. We found that rather than a driver for disease, displacement acted as a process affecting community, household and individual zoonotic disease risk dynamics, based on available resources and social networks before, during and after displacement, rooted in the historical, political and socio-economic context. We conclude that in rural Sindh, disaster displaced populations’ risk of zoonoses is the result of changes in dynamics rooted in pre-existing structural and chronic inequalities, making people more or less vulnerable to disease through multiple interlinked pathways. Our findings have implications for policy makers and humanitarian responders assisting displaced populations dependent on livestock, with a call to integrate livestock support in humanitarian policies and responses for health, survival and recovery.

Religion and Politics in the European Union

This chapter investigates the political mobilization of religious networks in the construction of the European Union by focusing on the role of key religious organizations in dialogue with European institutions, from the 1950 Schuman Declaration to the institutionalization of religious dialogue in Article 17 of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty. It sets out a typology of transnational religious structures, elaborates the main policy areas for religious/convictional actors, and discusses major challenges to the present structure and nature of the European Union, paying particular attention to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit), the movement of forcibly displaced populations, and the rise of populism and right-wing nationalism.

Health Seeking Behaviors among Displaced Populations/Refugees

The United States resettles refugees every year. Their population in south-central Kentucky (KY) is diverse and fitting to research into culture-dependent healthcare utilization patterns. A mixed study was conducted with one hundred and ten semi-structured questionnaires and three individual interviews. Significant differences were observed between the use of healthcare services and refugees’ nationality (F (5, 98) = 4.29, p < 0.001), acculturation (t = −2.03, p < 0.04), and interpreters (t = 1.92, p < 0.05). Beliefs affect use through the level of cultural competency of the healthcare provider. These findings contribute to the health policy debates surrounding this culturally diverse population.

Forced migrants and other displaced populations

This chapter provides an overview of the global health dimensions of forced migration and the associated public health challenges. The chapter identifies different categories of forced migrants and examines the main causes of displacement in a global context in which globalization is simultaneously a force for greater integration as well as a contributor to forced migration. Global statistics and legal frameworks relating to forced migrants are examined and formal protections to which refugees and other groups of forced migrants are entitled are identified. The public health situations of forced migrants are varied and often poor, the health situation of different types of forced migrant are outlined and public health responses described. The role of public health professionals in developing a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of forced migration in order to advocate for forced migrant health, and enable forced migrants to speak and be heard, aiding them in transforming their own health outcome are discussed.