Public Health
La quatrième décennie de l’épidémie du sida ce qu’il faut faire pour redéfinir la riposte
La communauté internationale a atteint la première étape du sixième objectif du Millénaire pour le développement : stopper et inverser la propagation du sida. Au moins cinquante-six pays ont stabilisé ou réduit de plus de 25 % les nouvelles infections liées au sida au cours des dix dernières années et cela est particulièrement évident en Afrique subsaharienne, la région la plus touchée par l’épidémie. Les nouvelles infections au VIH parmi les enfants ont baissé de 25 %, un progrès important dans l’élimination virtuelle de la transmission du virus de la mère à l’enfant d’ici à 2015. Aujourd’hui, plus de cinq millions de personnes reçoivent un traitement antirétroviral, ce qui a réduit les décès liés au sida de plus de 20 % au cours des cinq dernières années. Toutefois, avec plus de 33 millions de personnes séropositives aujourd’hui 2,6 millions de nouvelles infections au VIH et près de 2 millions de décès en 2009, la lutte contre le sida reste incertaine.
Пандемия: отражение нашей уязвимости
Социальное неравенство, гендерное насилие, плохие жилищные условия, неэффективность систем здравоохранения: пандемия коронавируса обнажила уязвимые места нашего общества. Чтобы изменить мир к лучшему, нам нужно заняться глубинными проблемами, которые до сих пор остаются нерешенными.
Настало время переосмыслить образование
По данным ЮНЕСКО, в результате пандемии 90 % всех учащихся в мире, то есть около полутора миллиардов человек, лишились возможности посещать учебные заведения. Школам и вузам в одночасье пришлось перейти на дистанционное обучение и изыскивать новые методы преподавания.
Labour, hiv & the workplace working to get the job done
Differential treatment resricted access to newer antiretrovirals
The discovery of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV (PLHIV) is one of the best success stories of medical research in recent years. It has changed the way in which HIV is viewed—from that of a death sentence to a chronic illness. However, lifelong treatment requires constant access to newer drug regimens, as an HIV-infected person either develops serious side effects, or the virus becomes resistant to the drugs. While patients in developed countries have treatment options, the same cannot be claimed for those in developing countries. With more than twenty approved antiretroviral drugs, the global HIV drug market is estimated to approach $16 billion by 2016. Yet, not all ARVs, especially newer and more potent treatments, are licensed or available in every country, particularly in the global South. Why is there such a gap in access to treatment between industrialized and developing countries? Why are newer, more potent, less toxic ARVs not available to PLHIV in the global South? How can this growing disconnect between treatment options be altered?
A decade of fighting for our lives
A group of South African activists founded the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on 10 December 1998, International Human Rights Day. It was no accident that TAC was formed exactly fifty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The backbone of TAC is its use of advocacy to fight for the realisation of the right to health, which is enshrined both in international treaties and in the South African Constitution.
A national response to the hiv epidemic in Papua New Guinea
In the context of the HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea, sex workers and males who have sex with males (MSM) engage in potentially risky sexual practices which remain under archaic criminal laws.1 Those at risk continue to face prejudice, moral condemnation, and violent abuse from some sectors of society, as well as harassment by police and blackmail, which are aimed especially at MSM. Their vulnerability and lack of security impacts on the national response, as it drives them underground and alfects their access to treatment and services. However, ongoing educational projects by MSM groups and sex workers appear to be improving police attitudes.
Coronavirus as a burning glass for digital risks?
The digital space represents a global interaction and communication sphere for all people. In this sphere children connect with young people and adults across almost all countries, cultures and age groups. The constant improvement and implementation of automatic translation programs, for example in social media, also means that language barriers in the digital space are becoming increasingly blurred. This evolution, which is actually to be welcomed, promises at best the emergence of a kind of Internet-based global society, but it also presents a dark side. Criminology assumes that many forms of crime - regardless of the respective national criminal law - typically arise from interaction between people. There are few arguments to argue against the fact that this is not the case on the Internet - which actually makes it the first truly widespread and global crime scene in the world. Children, too, are a natural part of this educated global scene (or space) and are thus exposed to the digital forms of crime that go hand in hand with it. At the European level, children aged 9-16 spend an average of 167 minutes each day online (Smahel et al. 2019). In Germany alone, 97 percent of minors aged 12 and over use the Internet several times a week (Feierabend et al. 2020). Children are also intrinsically confronted with the digital risks of this area. These risks range from cybergrooming and sexual harassment in social media and online games, to the confrontation with extremism and violent content, to risks such as cyberbullying and stalking (cf. Bötticher 2020; Gabriel 2020; Rüdiger 2020). Almost 25 percent of children in the European Union who use the Internet have already reported having had at least one negative online experience in the past year (Smahel et al. 2019). The U-25 study from Germany even speaks of minors perceiving the Internet as a culture of injustice (Borchard et al. 2018).
Gender in the digital age: Exploring innovative practices and Women’s involvement
In our contemporary globalized world, women and adolescent girls in various countries across the globe continue to face constant hardships and obstacles, ranging from gender-based violence to prevalent gender inequalities and deeply rooted gendered socio-cultural norms, which hinder their emancipation and development and negatively impact the implementation of gender equality and rights. Despite these circumstances, different advancements, such as emerging innovative solutions and technologies, can play a significant role in relation to the development and empowerment of women in various sectors of society globally. It thus becomes ever more necessary to apply cross-cutting approaches, such as a critical gender lens and a rights-based approach1 to a wide range of development sectors and issue areas, including, but not limited to, education, political participation, and economic development, while considering, at the same time, the role that technology can have in these domains and analyzing its socio-cultural, global implications.
Evolution from a social animal to a virtual animal? using new tech and AI during and Post-COVID-19 crisis period
“Man is by nature a social animal” proclaimed Aristotle. This characteristic has made us organize into complex hierarchical societies where individuals are interdependent to satisfy basic necessities. Although we all know that social distancing is the most effective way to contain the spread of coronavirus, this is something biologically unnatural for humans.1 In this health emergency, many governments have decided to impose strict measures to limit social interactions to an absolute minimum. Lockdowns, limitations of movement of people and closure of borders have all been necessary measures for the good of societies.
“He for She”: The new wave of the cultural revolution
A patriarchal society confers the title of “breadwinners” on ‘him’ and bestows them with the responsibility to earn for the family. This confers another title on him as “head of the family” which thematically corresponds to “white man’s burden” as it creates an illusion that only men are capable of earning for the family. Unfortunately, the phrase “the father is the head of the family” is taught already as a lesson in pre-primary school thereby sowing the seeds of inequality in innocent minds. This illusion, born from the patriarchal mindset, laid the foundation for the socio-economic gender inequalities present today and is the root cause of intergenerational inequality faced by women.
Partner and domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis
The global spread of COVID-19 has dramatically impacted our lives. In an effort to contain the virus, governments across the globe have resorted to social distancing, home lockdowns, and isolation policies. However, such measures can have a negative impact on people’s mental well-being, put pressure on their relationships and cause stress, thus potentially contributing to an increase in violence and aggression within households. A recent review of the psychological impact of quarantine measures confirms that isolation can produce several negative emotional effects, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, emotion regulation problems, depression, and increased feelings of stress. Experiencing stress and powerlessness is associated with an increased risk of violent victimization. Perpetrator and victims often know each other. The combination of stress-inducing factors due to the lockdown and potentially living together with a perpetrator of violence may trigger an increase and worsening of various forms of violence within the household.
AESI promoted active dialogue among students on several topics of international relations in this pandemic period
Preparing young people for the diplomatic and international careers of today means facing the new international crises with an innovative and global vision that analyzes their real causes first and then provides adequate and effective responses over time. Furthermore, a greater synergy with international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) is needed. In this regard, the European Association of International Studies (AESI) usually organizes two missions in Geneva in coordination with the Italian Representation at the United Nations agencies. Unfortunately, the health emergency has not allowed this tradition to continue this year, but the liaison with the Director-General of the UN Agencies in Geneva, Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, is still vigorous and the activities promoted by AESI for young university students are considered of great importance. Indeed, AESI is strongly convinced that only by investing in the new generations with innovative and global training, which envisage above all concrete contacts with international actors such as the UN and the European Union (EU), we can achieve a future of peace and promote a culture of solidarity. Furthermore, we believe that the interaction with young university students who are preparing for diplomatic and international careers can also enrich international organizations through a deeper understanding of young people’s perspectives, enhancing also their creative solutions to crises. The Director-General of the United Nations Agencies in Geneva illustrated in her Message to AESI what the priorities of this health emergency are, but she also encouraged the UN to listen to the new generations. She invited students to send them messages and contributions. The Director-General also expressed her wish to meet with the young AESI members in Geneva when it will be possible. The University will play a great role in the future, not only with respect to the international relations dimension, but above all with the involvement of young people in the process of renewing peace promotion strategies in crisis situations. The United Nations has discovered this great added value and for this we also thank the United Nations Director-General of Geneva.
Violent extremist offenders rehabilitation and reintegration in prison: A focus on the challenges and way forward in Mali
In his remarks to the High-level Meeting on Mali and the Sahel held on the margins of the General Debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, the Secretary General António Guterres acknowledged the increasing threat posed by the rise of violence in the Sahel and its spreading towards the Gulf of Guinea. He also warned about terrorist groups exploiting local conflicts and acting as defenders of communities to enhance their popularity and local support. As a matter of fact, countries in the Sahel region have been experiencing a significant increase in the level of violence, resulting in severe consequences for the population. According to Mohamed Ibn Chambas, UN Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the casualties caused by terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, have increased five-fold since 2016. The fragile circumstances and the deteriorating security situation have also pushed many people to flee their homes, with more than one million refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltered in the central Sahel.
Domestic violence — the shadow pandemic of COVID19 Effects of policy measures on vulnerable population
To prevent the spread of Covid19, many governments have been taking strict measures such as closing borders, imposing nationwide lockdowns and setting up quarantine facilities. While these measures may ensure that social distancing is followed seriously, they may have indirect effects on the economy and adverse effects on the well-being of people, especially the vulnerable population.
COVID-19 pandemic and illicit drugs
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, no clear evidence has emerged of a significant decrease in the supply of drugs at the global level, including in Italy, even after the quarantine was extended to the entire country.
الكتابة النسائية، بريق ضياء في ليلة ظلماء
نوكيس .هانفرع يذلا ملاعلا نع افلتخم نوكيس مداقلا ملاعلا لوقت اذكه .ةيحلا سانجلأل اماترحا رثكأو ،لوهجملل اريدقت رثكأ.غنيم غنوي ياشت ةرعاشلا
المتاحف: سلاح الصمود عن طريق الفنّ
نفلاب انتلاص فيرعت ةداعإو روهمجلا لابقتساب ةطبترلما ةديدجلا تاهاركلإا مامأ ،ملاعلا في ىرخلأا تاسّسؤلما نم ديدعلا لثم هلثم ،كرويوينب زنيوك فحتم ىعسي ،ةفاقثلاو ينّبرُلماو يننانفلا عضت ةلماش ةبراقم في يركفتلاو ،فحاتلما نم ديدج جذومن طابنتسا لىإ.هتطشنأ بلق في ناكّسلاو
الأزمة الصحية مرتع خِصب للتضليل الإعلامي
ترهظ يتلا ةيبئاجعلا يرقاقعلا نم ضعب كلت ،لفلفلا ءاسح ،”مينلا“ قاروأ ،دوسلأا ياشلا ،ةيحصلا ةمزلأا هذه ّلظ في ،تشرتنا ثيح ،19 ـ ديفوك جلاعل نكاملأا نم اهيرغو ايقيرفإ في ءابو“ ةحفاكلمو .يعامتجلاا لصاوتلا تاكبش برع ةرماؤلما تايرظنو ةفئازلا تامولعلما رابخلأا راشتنلا يدصّتلا في اهتايلوؤسم لّمحت ةيمقرلا تاّصنلما لىع ّيينعتي ،اذه ”تامولعلما.ةيملاعلإا ةيارّدلا ةيمنتو ةفئازلا