Aid Worker Security Report 2020
The 2020 Aid Worker Security Report focuses on humanitarians working in the health sector. They examine the data on attacks against health workers and discuss how the humanitarian sector is dealing with the new risks and disruptions caused by major epidemics occurring in contexts of broader complex emergency.
Attacks on healthcare facilities as an indicator of violence against civilians in Syria: An exploratory analysis of open-source data
The authors of this study utilized publicly available datasets from the Violations Documentation Center (VDC) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) to compare trends in attacks on healthcare facilities and civilian casualties from March 2011 to November 2017 in the Syrian Civil War.
Attacks on medical workers in Syria: Implications for conflict research
In this article, Rohini Haar and colleagues describe an extraordinary field-based data collection effort conducted amidst the ongoing war in Syria, spearheaded by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and supported by a team of mainly United States-based researchers.
A systematic literature review of the ethics of conducting research in the humanitarian setting
Through conducting this systematic review the authors conclude that the particular vulnerabilities of conflict-affected populations, the contextual challenges of working in humanitarian settings, and the need for ensuring strong community engagement at all levels make this area of research particularly challenging.
Determining the scope of attacks on health in four governorates of Syria in 2016: results of a field surveillance program
The authors developed a mobile data collection questionnaire to collect data on incidents of attacks on healthcare directly from the field. Data collectors from the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), using the tool or a text messaging system, recorded information on incidents across four of Syria's northern governorates (Aleppo, Idleb, Hama, and Homs) from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016.
Getting Serious About Protecting Health Care in Conflict
Three years ago, a UN Security Council resolution called for the protection of health care in conflict zones, but attacks have continued. In this report, Rita Dayoub states effective translation of the resolution into action requires international organization involvement in prosecuting perpetrators and better inclusion of local health care providers.
Health in fragile and post-conflict states: a review of current understanding and challenges ahead
Health systems face enormous challenges in fragile and post-conflict states. This paper reviews recent literature to better understand how, within a context of economic volatility, political instability, infrastructural collapse and human resource scarcity, population health deteriorates and requires significant attention and resources to rebuild.
Intimidation and Persecution: Sudan’s Attacks on Peaceful Protesters and Physicians
In this report Rohini Haar summarises attacks and provides recommendations to the Sudanese government.
Lancet Article
The Lancet reports on the ICRC’s recent statement that more than 600 incidents of violence, harassment, or stigmatisation took place against health-care workers, patients, and medical infrastructure in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Measles outbreaks in conflict-affected northern Syria: Results from an ongoing outbreak surveillance program
The authors conducted a retrospective time-series analysis of the incidence of clinically suspected cases of measles using EWARN data between January 2015 and June 2019. We compared regional and temporal trends to assess differences between geographic areas and across time.
Measurement of attacks and interferences with health care in conflict: validation of an incident reporting tool for attacks on and interferences with health care in eastern Burma
The tool was validated for use in eastern Burma and could be used as a model for reporting violence towards health care in other conflict settings.
Menu Of Indicators To Measure The Reverberating Effects On Civilians From The Use Of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
This research framework produced by Christina Wille and Alfredo Malaret Baldo for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) offers indicators to document the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the complex knock-on effects that spread out over time and space in urban ecosystems, with negative consequences for civilian wellbeing and the environment in which people live.