The Weapon No One Talks About: Sexual Violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Posted on March 17, 2025March 20, 2025

A country’s true strength is not in its economy or military but in the well-being of its women. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than 1.8 million women have endured brutal violence; mass rape has become a harrowing reality. Sexual violence is used as a deliberate tool of terror to break communities, drive people from their homes, and keep entire populations in fear. In the east of the DRC, women and girls of all ages, from infants…

Rewriting the Script of Global Health

Posted on November 7, 2023January 14, 2024

In the heart of Rwanda, a pharmaceutical revolution is unfolding, disrupting a global health order long dominated by high-income nations. This bold move by a nation determined to chart its own course in healthcare sovereignty embodies the spirit of decolonizing global health. It serves as a testament to the possibility of a world where equity in health is not just an aspirational goal but an actionable reality. This narrative of empowerment and systemic change ignites the conversation around decolonizing global…

‘Every chemist has a backroom’: the rise of secret Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya

Structural Violence Africa female genital cutting female genital mutilation Global Health Justice kenya medical appartheid medicalization social determinants of health Structural violence Sub-Saharan Africa

Posted on December 15, 2022December 23, 2022

In 2011, Kenya passed laws to decrease the rates of female genital mutilations (FGM), by imposing hefty fines on its practitioners, and increasing surveillance and enforcement. But the recent medicalization of FGM is posing a new challenge for the east African nation, which has a 15% medicalization rate: one of the highest in Africa. In Kisii county, FGM medicalization is standard. Two out of three cases of female genital cutting are performed by health practitioners, in contrast to much of…

Food insecurity is driving women in Africa into sex work, increasing HIV risk.

Structural Violence AIDS Global Health Justice HIV Structural violence Sub-Saharan Africa

Posted on November 11, 2022December 23, 2022

There are many underlying causes that can reduce the burden of HIV if addressed timely. HIV can be spread through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and other body fluids. Among the possibilities are: Sexual contact with someone who has the HIV virus without using a condom A needle exchange or syringe exchange that results in an infection When an HIV-positive mother gives birth to a baby or breastfeeds Persons who exchange sex In Sub-Saharan Africa, food insecurity forces women…

[BOOKS] on War in Global Health

War/Militarism Apartheid book recommendations Geopolitical global north global south healthcare workplace violence LMIC Militarism Stop The Bloodshed Structural violence Sub-Saharan Africa War white saviorism

Posted on May 31, 2022September 13, 2023

Here is a list of some books that emphasize the role of the USA in fomenting war across the world, often to protect US dominance, corporate exploitation, and promote neoliberal policies – or to undermine or overthrow governments that challenge such exploitation. Some of the books include: “Washington Bullets” by Vijay Prashad (2020) Prashad examines the global impact of American foreign policy and interventions, shedding light on the often devastating consequences of U.S. military actions. This book is essential…