Somalia - the forgotten tragedy and articles wanted for the Global Pulse
Hi there, I’m Vanessa Jessop a medical student from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland , and have been helping Rafi and Hannah out here at TLS for the past week. It’s been great to read all the articles and submissions sent in by students around the world - please keep them coming! Today’s blog focuses on Somalia, a country that has been ravaged by civil war for over a decade, but which often escapes media attention. Also, The Global Pulse, a journal focusing on global health published by the American Medical Students’ Association, is looking for submissions for its Fall issue. After the great response we’ve had asking for articles for other student publications, we’re sure that lots of people reading this would be interested. It’s a great chance to share your views and knowledge with students worldwide. There’s a note below from two of the Global Pulse editors with all the information.
Somalia. Lest we forget.
Photograph courtesy of Doctors Without Borders.
There has been no effective government in Somalia for the past 17 years. The fighting is between the US-backed government and Islamist and national insurgents, who Washington accuses of having links with al-Qaeda.
Last week the BBC reported that the city had become a ‘zone of free-fire’ between government and insurgent forces. Human Rights Watch believes that ‘Somalia is the most ignored tragedy in the world today’; with a group of 52 NGOs issuing a statement saying that the international community had “completely failed Somali citizens”. The group estimate that almost 40,000 people have been displaced from the capital in the past week alone, with 1.1 million uprooted in the last nine months. (1) Since 1991 there has been an estimated one million deaths, owing to conflict and associated disease. The country has also endured floods and drought drastically cutting crop and livestock production, resulting in famine.
International aid workers are reported to have left in their droves owing to the risk of kidnap, or worse still murder, despite a reliance on humanitarian aid by the majority of civilians. Assessments by the UN and NGOs indicate that assistance in all sectors is far below international humanitarian standards. Living conditions in internally displaced people’s (IDPs) settlements fall below even the basic standards of refugee camps. The current security situation has forced the UN and international NGOs to administer most of their activities in South and Central Somalia from Nairobi, limiting their ability to monitor project implementation. (2)
Considering the scale and longevity of the humanitarian disaster in Somalia, it receives relatively little attention from the international media when compared to Darfur, Sudan. After 17 years donor fatigue is unavoidable, and so it seems is media fatigue, or are the scenes in Somalia, Darfur and the DRC just all too familiar?
Articles Wanted for the Global Pulse!
Photo courtesy of the Global Pulse.
Looking for an opportunity to get published? Want to share your insights and projects in global health with over 60,000 health professional and students nationally and internationally in print and online?
The Global Pulse (GP), the American Medical Student Association’s international health journal, welcomes submission for its upcoming Fall 2009 issue.
GP is a unique and dynamic student-run journal which highlights issues of global health. The journal seeks to increase awareness and provide avenues for action on global health topics. As a medical student-run journal, GP focuses on student-initiated global health research, reflections, and projects. Global Pulse can be found on the web at http://www.globalpulsejournal.com
We welcome submissions of:
- Editorials (OpEds)
- Research articles
-Personal accounts
- Book & movie reviews
- Short stories & poems
- Images & artwork
Submissions are welcome from students of all backgrounds. You do not need to be a health professions student to be considered for submission. Our only requirements are that submissions be related to the theme of global health, and have never been published before in another journal.
We have had such a positive response to our current issue that some small changes have been implemented. Please read them carefully:
- We want more contributions from students from other disciplines that are working on international and/or human rights issues. In other words, we welcome submissions about topics in the fields of economics, law, technology and so on, but only if the contributions are relevant to the topics discussed in Global Pulse. Additionally, the article has to be written without excessive technical jargon. For example, if you are an economics student, you can write about global poverty, but without using terms that only economic professionals can understand.
- Term papers and theses done for college and/or graduate coursework will generally not be accepted.
- Regarding artwork: Photos are always welcome. You can submit pictures as a photo essay or as part of your article. If you have videos related to your article, you can also submit them to Global Pulse, but they have to be shorter than 10 minutes (the limit on YouTube). If you have paintings, sketches, etc., you have to submit a high-quality scan or photo of them, otherwise the submission will be rejected.
Further details on submission guidelines can be found at: http://www.globalpulsejournal.com/submission_guidelines.html
Global Pulse welcomes submissions on a year-round, on-going basis. However, to be considered for the upcoming Fall 2009 issue, please email your submissions (articles, photos) to submissions@globalpulsejournal.com by Saturday, November 15, 2008.
Questions, concerns? Please contact the editors-in-chief:
Julio Bracero / jbracero@globalpulsejournal.com
Preeti Kaur / pkaur@globalpulsejournal.com
Or feel free to contact any of the editors: http://www.globalpulsejournal.com/contact_us.html
Please share this call for submissions with others interested in global health issues, regardless of their educational background!
Sincerely,
Julio Bracero & Preeti Kaur
Editors-in-Chief, Global Pulse, AMSA’s International Health Journal
http://www.globalpulsejournal.com