Since its first cases, HIV prevalence all over the world have been historically associated with vulnerable groups, such as women and people from the LGBTTIQ community. Despite all the research on HIV/AIDS, and its epidemic for over 30 years, healthcare advances, and global neoliberal policies, there are still very few studies aiming to understand these intersections within an international setting including the Spanish speaking Caribbean (Puerto Rico), the United States, El Salvador, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda.
“The electronic book HIV, Migration and Human rights: International Perspectives is an exquisite and rare compilation of studies, and theoretical narratives with an extraordinary international collaboration presenting various social contexts and scenarios,” said Patria Rojas, assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and one of the compilers of the book.
Contributors to the book include: Mariana Sánchez, assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Diana Sheehan, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology; Karina Villalba, postdoctoral associate in the Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention; Derrick Forney, doctoral student in the Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention; and Gira Ravelo, research assistant professor for the Center for Research on US Latino, HIV/AIDS, & Drug Abuse (CRUSADA) .
The backbone of every chapter is the intersection of health, access to healthcare, sociocultural determinants of health and human rights. The authors analyze issues related to the vulnerability of immigrants and their risks and barriers to healthcare that HIV patients face. Furthermore, authors present practices and epidemiological approaches in which different societies have organized themselves to create strategies to ameliorate the impact of HIV among immigrants in the United States.
Authors discussed neoliberal health policies related to the political and economic crisis originated in the context of globalization of markets. They discussed the causes and the impact of the forced economic and human rights migration of thousands of people from their native countries and the increased vulnerability of this segments of the population, which is now exposed to an extensive and cumulative level of precariousness, including poor access to health services. Authors present an array of science-based elements that show why is necessary to defend the right to healthcare of migrants and to reduce their inequalities, both in their country of origin and in countries receiving migrations.
This academic contribution was fomented and guided by the extensive experience of the authors on HIV among women, migration, human rights and health disparities in their respective countries. The compilation offers the reader an understanding of the intersections among migration, HIV and human rights with special attention to the issues of gender from some concrete international experiences to some broad theoretical reflections. This book seeks to be a contribution to the urgent and necessary international dialogue on migration, healthcare access, HIV and human rights.
“Compilers received a grant to publish the book for free online, which is something that was important for us since we wanted students and academia to have access to the book for free,” Rojas concluded.
Please click here to access the book.