News

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

16h00 - 17h00 CET

Register: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jiiwHbULQZejGLs9zIt9wg

Agenda

16h00-16h05: Welcome & introductions: Dr Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director General,

WHO Healthier Populations Division

16h05-16h15: Dr Mark Bellis, Bangor University

16h15-16h25: Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, Girls Not Brides

16h25-16h35: Dr Manuel Eisner, Cambridge University

16h35-16h55: Q & A

16h55-17h00: Closure & thanks: Dr Etienne Krug, Director, WHO Department of Social

Determinants of Health

Rationale

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our world and exacerbated inequalities in many countries and communities. One of the consequences of COVID-19 and the societal responses to the virus has been an increase in some types of violence. This includes child maltreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and elder abuse. In addition to the immediate harms, these acts of violence will have pernicious, lifelong health effects on those affected and risk undermining their potential and ultimately impede social and economic development.

It is known that far from being randomly distributed, all forms of violence are strongly patterned by social determinants such as economic, social and gender inequalities; lack of ccupational and educational opportunities; ease of access to alcohol, drugs and firearms; family dysfunction; and norms and values that shape the acceptability of violence. In turn, high levels of violence can themselves amplify these social determinants in a vicious circle.

This webinar will explore how violence is a significant contributor to human suffering and how the societal responses to COVID-19 such as stay-at-home measures, workplace and school closures, and restrictions on sales of alcohol highlight the interrelationships between social determinants and violence. These complex interrelationships will be explored and their implications unpacked to suggest likely future trends in the prevalence of violence and its prevention.