Mexico's northern border conflict: collateral damage to health and human rights of vulnerable groups.

Title:
Mexico's northern border conflict : collateral damage to health and human rights of vulnerable groups
Creator:
Beletsky, Leo (Author)
Martinez, Gustavo (Author)
Gaines, Tommi (Author)
Nguyen, Lucie (Author)
Lozada, Remedios (Author)
Rangel, Gudelia (Author)
Vera, Alicia (Author)
McCauley, Heather L. (Author)
Sorensen, Andrea (Author)
Strathdee, Steffanie A. (Author)
Publisher:
Pan American Health Organization, January 01, 2012
Type of resource:
Text
Genre:
Articles
Format:
electronic
Digital origin:
born digital
Abstract/Description:
Objectives: Given links between policing environment and infectious disease risk among vulnerable groups, we surveyed female sex workers who inject drugs in Tijuana and Ciudad (Cd.) Juarez. Data were used to 1. compare distributions of human rights violations and disease risk, 2. juxtapose these patterns against demographic and structural environment variables, and 3. formulate implications for structural interventions.

Methods: Structured interviews and testing for sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) were conducted (October 2008-October 2009). Frequency of individual and environmental factors, including police abuse, HIV risk and protective behaviors were compared between sites using univariate logistic regression.

Results: Of 624 women, almost half reported police syringe confiscation despite syringes being legal and 55.6% reported extortion (last 6 months), with significantly-higher proportions in Cd. Juarez (p

Conclusions: Collateral damage from police practices in the context of Mexico's drug conflict may impact public health in the Northern Border Region. Itinerant officers may facilitate disease spread beyond the Region. The urgency for mounting structural interventions is discussed.
Comments:
Originally published in Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH), Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 403-410, 2012.
Subjects and keywords:
Human rights
Prostitutes
Intravenous drug abusers
Communicable diseases
Mexico
border conflicts
female sex workers
injection drug users
conflict
structural environment
gender violence
HIV
infectious disease
Legal Studies
Public Health
Permanent Link:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20002118

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