Global Health Council Wraps up on Hopeful Note

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May 31, 2002 - After three days assessing the reach and danger of public health threats of many kinds around the world, the Global Health Council wound up its annual conference Friday on a note of hope.

Some 1,500 participants from 75 countries reviewed the ongoing crises of HIV/AIDS, the renewed spread of tougher forms of malaria and tuberculosis, the rising rates of child and maternal mortality, and the growing impact of globalization and environmental decay on the most vulnerable people, as well as the looming threat of bioterrorism.

At a closing plenary session, speakers concluded that although the situation is grave, the new and broader public awareness of the various threats is a positive development that could help generate the needed higher investments and commitment by world leaders and health professionals.

A Friday morning panel session on gender-based violence in emergency situations drew attention to a provocative report by the Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium that documents conditions for and violence against women in 12 countries in conflict. Jeanne Ward, author of the report (entitled, “If Not Now, When?”), said that reducing gender-based violence during conflict will require better coordination among assistance agencies, along with improved data collection and new protection strategies.

At the same session, Aziza Khalidi of the Najdeh Association, a non-governmental organization working against domestic violence among Palestinian refugees in camps in Lebanon, noted that her study population was living in a constant crisis while generating another one in their homes. Domestic abuse in the camps, she said was like “a Russian doll—one crisis within another.” The panelists agreed that staff burnout and turnover are a constant problem for groups worldwide that are seeking to aid abused women.

A later panel on gender inequality and its effects on women’s health heard a report from Nancy Luke on studies of young girls in sub-Saharan Africa who engage in sexual relations with much older men, suffering rates of HIV/AIDS infection that are eight times as high as boys’ rates. The 43 studies found that such relations are probably under-reported, but that the girls did have some powers to negotiate some aspects of the situation, seeking to maximize the gifts or money they received in return for sex, for example. Other panelists reported on conditions in Uganda and Bangladesh, agreeing that education and comprehensive reproductive health care are essential to save women’s lives in developing countries.