Structural Violence and Personal Suffering

All over the world, structural violence denies marginalized groups basic human rights,

causes conflict between the upper class and workers, leading to a lower quality of life, even in

countries with efficient universal health care systems. Structural violence showcases how social

institutions are partially responsible for preventable deaths which occur because of the barriers

they create, which hinder people from accessing resources to meet their healthcare needs. Both

developed and developing countries experience the social suffering of structural violence, albeit

differently.

Developed countries like the U.S. emphasize civil and political rights (Wronka, 2008),

but many residents are discriminated against, denied dignity, and lack social, economic and

cultural rights. Undocumented workers who move to the U.S. for financial opportunities face

discrimination reflected in their salary, and the difficulty of their jobs relative to other employees

with the same position. However, these economic refugees still take on arduous jobs because it is

their only means of financial support. Overworking can lead undocumented workers to suffer

injuries and not seeking treatment in fear that their illegal immigration status will alert

authorities. Furthermore, most do not have the financial capability to pay for healthcare services,

or knowledge regarding where to access it. These workers are often alienated from social support

due to language barriers, lack of access to information, and not having family and friends nearby.

This leads to mental distress and paranoia that everyone is vindictive towards them (Gastaldo,

Carrasco, & Magalhes, 2012). Structural violence creates poverty, sickness, and stress, leading

to social exclusion, which only adds to more poverty, sickness, and stress. The government is

ultimately responsible for their suffering because of the obstacles they create for undocumented

workers to take legal action against their employers for lack of payment or safety equipment, and

to receive medical care.

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 In contrast, as shown Stephanie Blacks Life and Debt (2001), citizens of developing

countries like Jamaica struggle for civil and political rights as well as economic, social, and

cultural rights. Due to the spread of neoliberalism through globalization, Jamaica was forced into

taking an IMF loan, the consequences of which were disastrous. Their structural adjustment

program, combined with devaluing Jamaican currency, hiking interest rates, and setting strict

economic goals coerced Jamaica into spending the little money they kept after loan payments on

privatization of many of its key industries like milk, bananas, and meat. Such privatization

efforts took business away from local producers and increased Jamaicas dependency on the U.S.

because of the pricing that they used to undercut the locals. In addition, Jamaicas removal of

trade barriers as well as their marketing as a cheap labour site destroyed the economic prospects

of Jamaican residents. The workers, particularly female workers, were and continue to be subject

to unfair wages and poor working conditions. Speaking against workplace conditions would

result in losing their jobs, and being blacklisted from future employment. The sexism and

silencing of the workers voices speaks to the disregard for civil, political, economic, and anti-

discrimination rights. A logical conclusion is that workers in developing countries are more

likely to have their political and civil rights abused, but equally likely as those in developed

countries to have their social, cultural, and economic, dignity, anti-discrimination, and solidarity

rights abused. In either case, these human rights violations lead to lower health of the affected

population because of the socioeconomic impact.

In Canada, the Aboriginal Peoples continue to face human rights violations. When

Canada became independent, the government isolated young children from their parents to

assimilate native peoples into modern society. They faced sexual, physical, and emotional abuse

in the residential schools they were sent to, were forced to speak English, and were not taught

anything about their heritage. The native children were discriminated against, were stripped of

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dignity, solidarity, and cultural rights. When they returned, they were alienated from their

communities, and often resorted to drugs, smoking, and alcohol as a coping mechanism

(Germov, Hornosty, 2012). The disproportionate number of residential school children who

resorted to unhealthy lifestyle practices indicates an underlying social problem that manifested

itself in poorer health of Aboriginals. The inter-generational impact of this can be analyzed

through the lower socioeconomic status of Aboriginal Peoples compared to other citizens in

Canada.

Healthcare professionals across all types of healthcare systems face similar problems.

Whether their patients are free trade zone workers, undocumented immigrants, or Aboriginals,

human rights violations are rampant. In developing countries, there is not enough funding

directed to healthcare because of SAP regulations. In developed countries with private

healthcare, costs are often too expensive for marginalized groups. In contrast, in public

healthcare systems, many people do not have access to services because of immigration status or

distance. Despite these barriers, there are often long lines and many illnesses that go unnoticed

until they become so severe that victims end up in emergency care. This stresses the healthcare

system as the lack of health human resources limit the scope of accessibility to citizens.

Overworked healthcare professionals decrease the level of healthcare for the whole population.

Structural violence occurs in developed and developing countries, both internationally

and in Canada. Globalization and assimilation often violates human rights for economic trade-

offs. When marginalized groups are discriminated against, generations are affected, and sickness

becomes prevalent. Even healthcare workers suffer from moral distress. It is imperative to

address human right violations unilaterally, valuing them equally, as indivisible and

interdependent, and to value social welfare over privatization of industry to help a country build

itself up, instead of taking advantage of what it can offer.

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 References

Stephanie Black (Director) (2001). Life and Debt. United States: New Yorker Films.

Germov, J. and Hornosty, J. (2012). Canadas Aboriginal Peoples and Health: The Perpetuation

of Inequalities. In Germov, J. and Hornosty, J. (Eds.), Second opinion: An introduction to

health sociology, Canadian edition. (pp. 2-21). Don Mills: Oxford University Press.

Wronka, J. (2008). Human rights and social justice: Social action and service for the helping and

health professions. Thousand Oaks: Sage. pp. 16-32 of 368. ISBN 1412938732

Farmer, P. (2005). On suffering and structural violence: Social and economic rights in the global

era. In Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights and the New War on the Poor.

Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp. 29-50.

CBC. (2010, June 14). Residential Schools. CBC News. Retrieved December 1, 2016, from

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/16/f-faqsresidentialschools.html#ixzz1AG0ZIk00

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