Humanitarian Situations Research Articles

Transactional sex in humanitarian settings: A comparative analysis of livelihood and demographic predictors.

Millions of people have been displaced within or outside their countries. Disruptions associated with displacement often lead to transactional sex with dire social, sexual and reproductive health implications. A common driver of transactional sex is food insecurity among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), yet IDP/refugee settings offer an opportunity for females to challenge and renegotiate gender norms and exercise greater control over their lives and sexuality. We compared predictors of transactional sex across humanitarian settings and found them to be significantly different. Among IDPs, the likelihood of transactional sex reduces with having access to food ration and education, but increases with having 'other sources' of income. Among refugees, transactional sex likelihood reduces with having either/both parent(s) alive but increases with working for money. Hence, multiple factors drive transactional sex in different contexts. Protecting women in humanitarian situations from the risks of transactional sex requires an understanding of these differences.

Decision-making pathways for contraceptive use among refugee and host populations in Adjumani district, Uganda; an exploratory study

IntroductionContraceptive use is known to have a positive impact on maternal and child health outcomes; however, its use is still low in low-income countries, especially among people in humanitarian situations. This study explored decision-making processes towards the use of contraceptives by people in humanitarian situations to inform program design and uptake.MethodsA qualitative exploratory study was conducted among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) and men (15–60 years) living in three refugee settlements of Pagirinya, Nyumanzi, and Mirieyi and the surrounding host communities in Adjumani district, Uganda. Data were collected using 49 in-depth interviews (IDIs), 11 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs,) and 20 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Inductive thematic analysis was done with the aid of Atlas ti. Version 14.ResultsWe found that the decision-making processes entailed linear and nonlinear internalized cognitive and contextual processes involving four dynamic pathways. In the linear pathway, participants reported starting with 1) idea inception, 2) followed by cognitive processing, 3) consultation, and 4) decision-making for contraceptive use. The complex linear pathway happened when participants did not go through consultation but went straight to decision-making. However, participants who followed the non-linear pathway repeatedly went back to cognitive processing. Some women after consultation, or those already using and those not using contraceptives, decided to go back to cognitive processing to reconsider their current positions. This study found that some women who were not using contraceptives ended up using, while some who were using contraception ended up dropping out.ConclusionsThis study showed dynamic decision-making processes involving both internal and external environments as triggers to decision-making for contraceptive use. Interventions to increase contraceptive use should target both users and significant others who influence the decision to use particularly among refugees.Trial registrationThis study was registered by Makerere University School of Public Health Higher Degrees Research and Ethic Committee (HDREC) #188 and approved by Uganda National Council of Science and Technology on 15th/7/2021, Registration number—SS809ES.

CHILD VIOLENCE: FROM PSYCHOANALYSIS TO THE REALITY OF PROTECTING CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN BRAZIL

The purpose of the presented material is to summarize the basic psychoanalytic positions on the analysis of human aggressiveness and violent impulses, as well as to analyze the work of South American educators on the problem of violence within the recognition of human rights to a safe life. Methods. The defined theoretical and methodological direction of the analysis of child violence consists of research procedures, bibliographic review, psychoanalytic and socio-pedagogical research. Results. Psychoanalytic positions of interpretation of the phenomenon of violence are represented by Freud's classic generalizations about aggression, sadism and repression of libido. The conceptual understanding of the intrapsychic aspects of the child's violence is supplemented by the provisions of the theories of object relations through various forms of self-destruction of the individual. The socio-historical context of violence is revealed and it is emphasized that violence always contains the fact of violation by one person of the rights and freedoms of another person. The analysis of the works of Brazilian psychoanalysts reveals the specifics of experiencing the "feeling of colonization" in unconscious forms of repressed tension, confrontation and guilt. It is emphasized that various conflict traumas and states of social disintegration should begin with the awareness of just solidarity and human rights. It is also important to be aware of the rights of the child, which is in line with the doctrine of integral protection. The scientific achievements of the scientific school of Professor A.M. Eyng on the study of the problems of violence and children's rights are revealed. The basic positions of cooperation between Ukrainian and Brazilian scientists on the study of psychological norms of quality of life, mental health and well-being of children in humanitarian situations (poverty, wars, environmental disasters, forced displacement, etc.) are outlined. Conclusions. The scientific synthesis of psychoanalysis of child violence and socio-pedagogical generalizations about the child's rights to a safe existence is a new form of practical solution to the problem of protecting the quality of life of the child.

Comparing the effectiveness of narrative therapy and EMDR-GTEP protocols in the treatment of post-traumatic stress in children exposed to humanitarian crises

BackgroundThe mental health of children living in humanitarian crisis situations is a major issue. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) causes great psychological suffering and has negative consequences on children's development. The aim of the study was to analyze retrospective data collected in a mental health and psychosocial support program for children in the Central African Republic, and to compare results of two trauma-focused treatment interventions: the narrative protocol Action contre la Faim (ACF)/KONO; and the EMDR-based Group Trauma Episode Protocol (G-TEP). Both protocols are proposed in a group setting and led by paraprofessionals.MethodsIn the program, 884 children attended a psychoeducation session and after that, 661 children (290 for ACF/KONO and 371 for G-TEP) benefited from all treatment sessions. PTSD was measured by the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-8). General distress was measured by the Child Psychosocial Distress Screener (CPDS). Data were collected before and after treatment, and measured 5 months after the end of treatment for 185 children.ResultsParticipants in the ACF/KONO group show a significant reduction on CRIES-8 (t = 44.8; p < 0.001, effect size = 2.63) and CPDS (t = 38.2; p < 0.001, effect size = 2.24). Participants to the G-TEP protocol show a significant effect with reduced scores on the CRIES-8 (t = 49.2; p < 0.001, effect size = 2.55) and CPDS (t = 57.2; p < 0.001, effect size = 2.97). A Student's t-test comparing the ACF/KONO and G-TEP groups shows no significant difference between the two types of treatment between pre- and post-treatment CRIES-8 scores (t = 1.744; p = 0.514, effect size = 0.040) and CPDS scores (t = 1.688; p = 0.092, effect size = 0.323). An analysis of the follow-up data for the 185 children shows that the effects of both protocols are maintained over time with mean scores after treatment and follow-up below the clinical cut-off for both CPDS (<8) and CRIES-8 (<17).ConclusionsBoth protocols have been shown to be effective in reducing traumatic symptoms in children exposed to conflict; they can be conducted by paraprofessionals and used in humanitarian crisis situations.

The "New-Old" Dimensions of Caring in Humanitarian Response: The Opportunity for Public Health Palliative Care to Advance the Humanitarian-Development Nexus, Decoloniality, and Localization Thought.

How can palliative care framings advance humanitarian discourse? The imperative for palliative care in humanitarian settings is increasingly urgent. Recent efforts by health and humanitarian organizations demonstrate increasing attention to the issue. Yet palliative care is still not adequately formally considered or enacted by humanitarian agencies in rhetoric, policy, research, or practice. Even where it is considered in humanitarian action, palliative care is often assumed to be a novel intervention, rather than a caring practice that has existed from time immemorial, including in humanitarian situations. The generation of ideas in this paper has followed a dynamic, iterative, and reflexive process through engagement with key literature, critical thinking, conversations with colleagues across both sectors, primary data, and debate amongst the authors. The paper argues that the current dominant frame of a new, specialized, professionalized, and medicalized palliative care in the humanitarian sector would perpetuate existing challenges. It contends that viewing both fields through a "new-old" lens, where historical and traditional caring practices intertwine with progressive discourse for a more just and appropriate public health response, can further humanitarianism. It posits that the humanitarian-development nexus, decoloniality, and localization thought can benefit from palliative care practice through critical interaction with a broad range of literature.

Contract design between relief organisations and private-sector vendors: A humanitarian logistics framework

Amid increasing threats from natural disasters, the demand for relief supplies is growing quickly. As such, private-sector collaborations have been an efficient way for relief organisations to mitigate the burden of supply procurement and inventory. However, due to the complexity of disasters, such collaboration contracts are not one-size-fits-all. Based on our field investigation and literature review, we summarize two important factors, the relief organisation’s objective and inventory management, which should determine the design of the contract. Each factor has three important elements, so we can build a framework for the corresponding nine kinds of contracts and propose their models. Through a common numerical experiment, we make comparisons and further clarify their characteristics. The results of this analysis may be helpful in determining which kind of contract is most suitable to promote collaboration between relief organisations and private-sector entities in different humanitarian situations.

ANALISIS PEMAHAMAN MASYARAKAT KOTA BANJARBARU TENTANG BAGI HASIL DAN BUNGA PADA BANK SYARIAH

Conventional banks or Islamic banks can be utilized by the general public. By developing a financial framework that relies on market instruments that are reasonable, useful, fair, independent, and productive, Islamic Banks have a role in public progress in the financial field needed to increase local government assistance, strengthening local areas, and every monetary force, especially for small and medium business visionaries. Qualitative approaches are used to investigate and comprehend the meaning that various individuals or a group of persons attribute to social or humanitarian situations. Typically, small to medium-sized communities are familiar with Islamic banks, especially those living in urban areas. Nevertheless, many people do not understand Islamic banking. In theory, Since normal banks employ an interest system, Islamic banks differ from ordinary banks. While Islamic banks use a profit-sharing system. Despite this, people still do not fully understand Islamic banking

Cara Baru Memandang Prinsip Non-Intervensi ASEAN dalam Menilik Kasus Rohingya

This research aims to propose a fresh perspective on ASEAN's non-intervention principle through the analysis of the Rohingya case. The Rohingya case represents a humanitarian crisis complexity in the Myanmar region that necessitates serious consideration from ASEAN as a regional body. This research employs a multidisciplinary approach involving political analysis, international law, and international relations theory. The study argues that ASEAN's non-intervention principle should not be interpreted as a reluctance to intervene in cases of human rights violations that threaten regional security. Instead, the research advocates for a more proactive and responsive approach from ASEAN towards humanitarian situations resulting in mass suffering, such as the Rohingya case. The findings of this research provide new insights into how ASEAN can modernize its approach to the non-intervention principle, emphasizing the importance of human rights protection as an integral part of regional stability and peace. This research also proposes concrete recommendations regarding steps that ASEAN can take in addressing similar cases in the future, thereby strengthening ASEAN's role and relevance in the context of global humanitarian issues.

Leveraging explainable AI for enhanced decision making in humanitarian logistics: An Adversarial CoevoluTION (ACTION) framework

This study examines the potential of AI-enabled wargames to enhance strategic decision-making in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). We introduce an Adversarial CoevoluTION (ACTION) framework, which showcases AI’s capacity to evolve adaptable policies capable of responding to dynamic changes and adversarial actions in HADR wargame scenarios. The framework presented employs a grammar-based genetic programming algorithm to evolve intelligent and interpretable player policies. We apply the ACTION framework to a HADR wargame case study, commonly used by the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group for research purposes. The case study centres on a hypothetical disaster relief scenario in the fictional Joadia Islands, struck by a tsunami, necessitating the evacuation of dispersed civilians. Experimental results illustrate that the ACTION framework can evolve policies that adapt to environmental uncertainties and respond effectively to adversarial actions. This study offers evidence of the potential and practical application of AI-enabled technology in real-life humanitarian situations. Our findings suggest practical guidelines for humanitarian practitioners to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of logistics planning for humanitarian aid, ultimately leading to improved outcomes in HADR scenarios.

A Postmodernist Critique of the International Community’s Response to the Genocide in Rwanda: How the UN’s Rhetoric Contributed to Humanitarian Failure

"The gruesome savagery displayed during the events in Rwanda astounded the entire world. Even more outrageous is the fact that the international community did not have a strong response to the massacre and allowed millions of lives to be affected by the actions of Akazu. In this essay, I wish to propose that, drawing on the notion that postmodernist international theory's metanarratives can be created inside the framework of international politics, I look at a horrific incident that shocked the public. This study aims to address the issue, ""Why was the rhetoric of the United Nations potentially fueling the brutality of the Rwandan genocide?"" to demonstrate that the international community's rhetoric played a significant role in these sad events. All of them point to the fact that the way we classify and prioritise humanitarian situations can be considerably influenced by a international organisation with accepted authority in the international community. We saw the construction of a ""Rwanda Civil War"" metanarrative that only showed one side of the conflict before collapsing in the face of the terrible truth of what had actually occurred. Keywords: Rwandan Genocide, humanitarian intervention, discourse analysis, United Nations, postmodernism."

The Declaration on Palliative Care in a Pandemic: report of the African Ministers of Health Meeting and the 7th International African Palliative Care Conference, held from the 24th to 26th August 2022 in Kampala, Uganda and virtually.

The 7th International African Palliative Care Conference and the 4th African Ministers of Health Meeting were held in Kampala from the 24th to 26th August 2022. The theme of the conference - Palliative Care in a Pandemic - reflected the reality of palliative care provision on the continent, and the experience of patients and providers over the past 2 years. It was hosted by the African Palliative Care Association and the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance with co-sponsors being the International Children's Palliative Care Network, the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, Global Partners in Care and Palliative care in Humanitarian Aid Situations and Emergencies. The conference was held in Kampala as a hybrid event, with a mix of in-person, pre-recorded and virtual presentations. The African Ministers of Health Meeting held on the 24th August was attended by delegates from 25 Ministries of Health, with 92 participants in-person and 122 attending virtually. Hosted by the Minister of State for Primary Health Care in Uganda, the participants at the meeting endorsed a Declaration on Palliative Care in a Pandemic. The main conference, held on the 25th and 26th August, was attended by 334 delegates from 40 countries, 199 (60%) of whom attended in-person. Key themes discussed throughout the conference included: contagious compassion; building a business case and evidence for palliative care in Africa; palliative care policy, funding and sustainability; the importance of collaboration and global partnerships; palliative care for all ages, children through to the elderly, and all conditions; the need to be innovative and creative, embracing technology; and a feeling of hopefulness in the future of palliative care in the region as we go forward together. The impact of the pandemic has been significant on everyone. Despite this, and the limitations imposed by the pandemic, the African palliative care community has come through it stronger, is committed to continuing the development of palliative care across the region, working together and is hopeful for the future.

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies: A new ally for education in emergencies.

This article provides an overview of the current landscape and needs for education in emergencies, as well as challenges and opportunities in today's critical juncture, in particular with the creation of a new ally for education in emergencies: the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies. It covers the disruption of education by the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated exacerbation of child-protection risks, as well as the pandemic's impact on the realization of the right to education of displaced children and youth and those living in humanitarian crises. While there is ample recognition at the international policy level of the importance of education in emergencies, major obstacles still prevail, such as continued underfunding and the underprioritization of education in humanitarian situations. As the world faces unparalleled needs, in particular during crises, and grapples to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 and meet the commitments set out in the Global Compact for Refugees, new opportunities promise to tap opportune alliances, to inspire commitment, and to boost country-level impact.

Duties of the Muslim Ruler towards Displaced people

Allah has legislated judgments for all ordinary and exceptional humanitarian situations in peace and war. Including judgments for the displaced to secure their lives and live a stable life as they were in their country of origin. These judgments are binding on the ruler because their source is from the Knower, the Wise, Glory be to Him, and do not accept copying or disruption, and may not be attacked, but may not be waived because of their association. Islamic Sharia has dealt with the issue of seek refuge and displacement in complete detail and clarity. It insured the asylum seeker, who is the trustee, all safety, dignity and care. The Islamic community has also defined the rules to be followed in responding to asylum requests. So the house of Islam is one, and it is a homeland for every Muslim in which his movement may not be restricted by physical barriers or political borders. And every Muslim country must receive Muslims who immigrate to it, and brother' reception of his brother in compliance with the teaching of our true religion. The Muslim Ruler is legally charged with taking care of interests of his Muslim subjects, including those who immigrate to him by securing them, support them, sheltering them, and helping the poor and needy among them

Analysis and design of scalable pre-processing techniques of instances for imbalanced Big Data problems. Applications in humanitarian emergencies situations.

This thesis addresses the distributed and scalable pre-processing of Big Data sets, in order to obtain good quality data, known as Smart Data. Particularly, it focuses on classification problems, and on addressing the following characteristics: (a) imbalanced data; (b) redundancy; (c) high dimensionality; and (d) overlapping.The following specific objectives are established for the aforementioned purpose:
 
 Enable a state-of-the-art algorithm widely used for the treatment of class imbalance in traditional data scenarios (Small Data), to be able to obtain adequate results from large datasets in a distributed manner and in reasonable execution times.
 To design and to implement a fast and scalable methodology for the reduction in both instances and attributes for Big Data sets with high redundancy and dimensionality, while maintaining the predictive capacity of the original dataset.
 To design and to implement a strategy for scalable data characterisation in the context of Big Data classification, focusing on the ambiguous areas of the problem.
 To apply the knowledge acquired during the development phase to solve problems of interest related to humanitarian emergencies.

Systematic Review of Gender and Humanitarian Situations Across Africa

For decades, as evidenced in programming and research, the humanitarian community has recognised gender equality and equity as integral to effective programming and response. Drawing upon ninety-nine publications indexed on the Web of Science and Google Scholar, this paper explores available evidence on gender and crisis settings in Africa to synthesise and critically analyse what is being learned. We found that limited research and programming have explicitly aimed to have gender transformative impacts, and those that do fail to adequately declare or reflect on the biases and intricacies of aiming to transform social norms in complex sociocultural contexts. Additionally, this review examines the trend of the body of research, highlighting the affiliation of authors and the geographical areas of focus. Evidence shows that research in this area is dominated by scholars affiliated with institutions in the Global North, raising questions relating to knowledge production and epistemic injustice in Africa.

11. African Union

The African Union’s activity on environment, energy, and natural resources was not as abundant as in previous years. This slowdown is inevitably due to the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the main organs of the African Union (AU) held their regular annual sessions and decided on a number of matters. The AU Assembly had a range of business on its docket, including the launch of business for 2021 and its overall theme. The launching of this ordinary session had given the opportunity to the Assembly to deal with the problems related to the environment. For its part, the Executive Council, which met for two ordinary sessions, also had a rich order of business, which gave rise to a series of decisions. First, the Executive Council handed down a decision on the problem of desertification, drought, and famine, which is causing appalling humanitarian situations on the African continent. In line with this situation, it also took a decision on the AU Commission’s report on the humanitarian situation in Africa. Furthermore, another Executive Council decision underlined the growing problem of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa due to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. In this regard, it finally took a decision to encourage member states to build resilience in nutrition and food security in Africa and to maintain a convergence of actions related to the response to these various problems. As for the actions and decisions of the AU Commission, no significant activities on the environment, energy, or natural resources were reported this year. Our report will therefore focus on the activities of the Assembly and the Executive Council.

Human rights-based accountability for sexual and reproductive health and rights in humanitarian settings: Findings from a pilot study in northern Uganda.

Ensuring accountability for the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights is a human rights obligation and central tenet of strategies to improve health systems and outcomes in humanitarian settings. This pilot study explored the feasibility and acceptability of deploying human rights strategies, specifically through a participatory community-led complaints mechanism, to hold humanitarian health systems to account for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of refugee and host community women and girls in northern Uganda. Over a fifteen-month period we conducted a multi-methods exploratory study with refugee and host community rights-holders and duty-bearers using longitudinal in-depth interviews, focus groups, and secondary data document review. Deductive and inductive coding techniques were used to analyze data iteratively for content and themes. 107 sexual and reproductive health and rights related complaints and feedback were collected through the community complaints mechanism. Complaints concerned experiences of disrespect and abuse by health care workers; lack of adolescent access to sexual and reproductive health services and information; sexual and gender-based violence; and lack of access to acceptable and quality health goods and services. Participants reported an increased understanding and claiming of human rights through the intervention, acceptability of rights-based accountability strategies among humanitarian health system actors, and improved access to remedies when sexual and reproductive health rights are not respected. Findings demonstrate integrating rights-based social accountability mechanisms at the level of humanitarian response as a promising approach for strengthening and holding humanitarian health systems accountable for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls affected by humanitarian situations.

Factors influencing severity of recurrent malaria in a conflict-affected state of South Sudan: an unmatched case-control study

BackgroundThe burden of malaria remains the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Sudan is not an exception. The country has borne the brunt of years of chronic warfare and remains endemic of malaria, with increasing mortality and morbidity. Limited data still exists on factors influencing the recurrence of severe malaria, especially in emergency contexts such as South Sudan, affected by various conflicts and humanitarian situations. This study therefore aimed to investigate factors influencing severity of occurrence malaria in selected primary healthcare centres in South Sudan. This would assist and guide in malaria prevention, treatment, and eradication efforts.MethodsWe conducted an unmatched case-control study using routinely collected clinic data for individuals aged 1 year and above who received a diagnosis of severe malaria at 3 primary healthcare centres (PHCC); Malual Bab PHCC, Matangai PHCC and Malek PHCC between September 15, 2019 to December 15, 2019 in South Sudan. Patient characteristics were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics were also conducted to identify the associated factors influencing recurrence of severe malaria. All analyses were conducted using R Version 3.6.2.ResultsA total of 289 recurrent malaria cases were included in this study. More than half of the participants were female. Overall, the prevalence of severe recurrent malaria was 66.1% (191) while 74.4% (215) did not complete malaria treatment. Among those who did not complete malaria treatment, 76.7% (165) had severe recurrent malaria, while among those who completed malaria treatment 35.1% (26) had severe recurrent malaria (p < 0.001). There is a significant association between marital status (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19–0.56, p < 0.001), employment status (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.14–0.87, p = 0.024), the use of preventive measures (OR 3.82, 95% CI 1.81–8.43, p < 0.001) and nutrition status (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.13–0.37, p < 0.001). When adjusted for employment, marital status, nutritional and prevention measures in turns using Mantel–Haenszel test of association, this effect remained statistically significant.ConclusionsOur study showed that there is a high prevalence of severe recurrent malaria in South Sudan and that a significant relationship exists between severe recurrent malaria and antimalarial treatment dosage completion influenced by certain personal and social factors such as marital status, employment status, the use of preventive measures and nutrition status. Findings from our study would be useful for effective response to control and prevent malaria in endemic areas of South Sudan.

Çatışma bağlamında hayırseverlik faaliyetleri: Suriyeli göçmenlerin iş dünyasından örnek vaka incelemesi

This paper analyzes the ways in which the expatriate Syrian business community engages in philanthropic activities to provide help to its fellow countrymen in host countries. Why and how did this group of people, after experiencing the brutal war and losing their assets and families, decide to provide a giving hand to others after relocations? And why did some others not? The mainstream media and reports usually describe the refugees as aid receivers who are disadvantaged or resourceless. However, from the case of the expatriate Syrian businesspeople who fled from Syria to its neighboring countries due to the conflict back home, there are various groups of Syrian philanthropic organizations funded by those businesspeople to give help and aid to other Syrians in the host countries. Their philanthropic aid is not limited to material goods, but also includes religious courses, education, and employee training. The paper argues that although refugees are usually considered to live in a poor or weaker position, the economically strong members (mostly businesspeople) among them can bring positive effects to the difficult humanitarian situations.

When education in emergencies fails: learners’ motivations for a second chance education in post-conflict Rwanda

ABSTRACT There has been an increasing effort to deliver Education in Emergencies (EiE) from the international community since the 1990s because of protracted humanitarian situations. Despite the growing attention to EiE, many children in conflict-affected situations miss schooling without having the opportunity to receive a second chance education (SCE), or voice their perspectives on this situation. Given the gaps within EiE, this paper focuses on the largely overlooked issue of out-of-school children and young people resulting from conflict, and potential for an SCE. Based on 23 life story interviews conducted in Rwanda, it examines how learners in post-genocide Rwanda made sense of the complex education journey that they undertook and their motivations for an SCE. The research demonstrates various motivations, including both intrinsic and extrinsic, using self-determination theory. It provides learners’ perspectives on education that are currently missing in the EiE field.