Violence and human security policy relevance of a central health linkage

Violence, as a human security threat, constitutes a core public health issue. Finally, in an era of globalized threats requiring international cooperation, the discussion focuses on the interstate spillover effects of violence, or in other words, the transnational dimensions of the problem. These arguments are linked to the notion of security as a “contested concept” in the 21st century; in particular our analysis focuses on the implications of the violence case study for conceptualizing sovereignty, the core concept underpinning international relations. This paper discusses some of the health linkages of human security that are mediated through violence. It develops and supports five assertions: - Violence is a central threat to human security under all widely prevailing conceptions of human security - The types of violence constituting this threat include both collective violence and interpersonal violence - These types of violence share determinants that are inextricably linked with some of the major issues underlying the increased attention that human security has received over the last decade - Coherent policy recommendations to prevent violence would have cross-cutting benefits in terms of reducing a number of threats to human security