The August issue of The Nation’s Health, the official newspaper of the American Public Health Association (APHA), features a front-page article on violence against health workers. “Work to Document Violence against Health Workers Growing” includes remarks from Leonard Rubenstein, chair of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict coalition.
Referring to health workers’ protection under the Fourth Geneva Convention and later amendments, Rubenstein notes that these conventions are continually violated—and not only by terrorist groups or armed opposition to existing governments. He points to Syria, in which “the government, not the rebels, has been responsible for virtually all of the brutal attacks against health workers and facilities that have occurred since violence flared in recent years.”
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict coalition promotes respect for international humanitarian and human rights laws that relate to the safety and security of health facilities, workers, ambulances and patients during periods of armed conflict or civil violence.