On 11 November 2014 SIPRI and the Swedish Red Cross co-hosted a technical workshop on violence against health workers.
Complex security environments are beset by violence, armed conflict, extreme poverty and a lack of governance. While reliable access to healthcare is most needed in these settings, targeted violence against healthcare workers threatens its delivery.
Workshop participants discussed challenges in collecting data on the scope, nature, drivers and impacts of violence against health workers and how to effectively use this data for timely action.
Speakers included Pieter-Jan van Eggermont (Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden), Larissa Fast (Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies), Valerie Houtez (International Committee of the Red Cross), Kathleen Ryou (Humanitarian Outcomes) and Eva Svoboda (Humanitarian Policy Group, Overseas Development Institute).
The workshop was made possible in part through a grant from the British Economic and Social Research Council, with additional support from the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Download the workshop programme and discussion paper or read the latest SIPRI Background Paper by Rachel Irwin, 'Violence against healthcare workers in complex security environments'.
For more information about the workshop contact Rachel Irwin.