Publications by authors named "Amy Ritterbusch"

Background: Violence against children (VAC) remains an urgent global dilemma and researchers and policymakers alike continue to work tirelessly to devise strategies aiming to end VAC. However, the perspectives and expertise of children themselves remain underrepresented in the drafting and implementation of these strategies against VAC. This paper draws attention to the marginalization of children living outside of family care and centers their perspective.

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This essay brings together different voices to reflect on several participatory research projects carried out in Colombia, based on human rights, 'empowerment', harm reduction, (im)mobility and forced migration, gendered and political violence, armed conflict, and the right to health of people in the social margins. We look back on nine years of activism to explore the foundations of what our friendships and relationships have come to know as a revolutionary ethos. We critically re-visit and reflect on the concept of 'the activist' in the realms of the human rights apparatus in Colombia, the academy and the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (NPIC).

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Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access is increasing in Latin America. We explored PrEP use among Spanish-speaking, geosocial networking application users from Latin American countries with limited PrEP data via an online survey completed between December 2018 and February 2019. A total of 718 users from 10 countries were included, of whom 72.

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The Health Equity Network of the Americas (HENA) is a multidisciplinary network that promotes knowledge sharing and intersectoral action for equity in health and human rights in the Americas. The objectives of HENA are: 1) to share successful experiences in the development of interventions, considering the social determinants and determination of health, to achieve participatory and community-based health responses; 2) to analyze the health, social, political, environmental and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; 3) to identify the effects of pandemic care on populations most at risk because of their age and pre-existing health conditions; 4) examine the situation at borders and population movements in the spread of the pandemic and its effects on migrant populations; 5) propose strategies to ensure access to comprehensive care for pregnant women in order to reduce maternal and neonatal suffering, morbidity, and mortality; and 6) analyze violations of human rights and the right to health of historically marginalized populations, including street dwellers and other communities that depend on public spaces and the street for survival. The analytical and intervention models for health equity at HENA are based on various approaches, including social medicine, social epidemiology, medical anthropology, human ecology, and One Health.

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Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has limited availability across Latin America, though access is increasing. We explored PrEP uptake in Mexico via an online survey completed by Spanish-speaking, Hornet geosocial networking application (GSN app) users without HIV (n = 2020). Most (81.

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The Health Equity Network of the Americas (HENA) is a multidisciplinary network that promotes knowledge sharing and intersectoral action for equity in health and human rights in the Americas. The objectives of HENA are: 1) to share successful experiences in the development of interventions, considering the social determinants and determination of health, to achieve participatory and community-based health responses; 2) to analyze the health, social, political, environmental and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; 3) to identify the effects of pandemic care on populations most at risk because of their age and pre-existing health conditions; 4) examine the situation at borders and population movements in the spread of the pandemic and its effects on migrant populations; 5) propose strategies to ensure access to comprehensive care for pregnant women in order to reduce maternal and neonatal suffering, morbidity, and mortality; and 6) analyze violations of human rights and the right to health of historically marginalized populations, including street dwellers and other communities that depend on public spaces and the street for survival. The analytical and intervention models for health equity at HENA are based on various approaches, including social medicine, social epidemiology, medical anthropology, human ecology, and

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Transgender women ("trans women") are disproportionately impacted by HIV; yet there are few interventions tailored for trans women. This study employed qualitative methods to better understand how trans women's social networks and technology-based networking platforms may be leveraged in developing health promotion strategies for this high-priority population. Qualitative data from five focus groups ( = 39) revealed three key themes: (1) Social network structure and composition; (2) Technology use patterns; and (3) Accessing transgender health resources online.

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Through qualitative data collected with women affected by drug use and drug-related violence in Bogotá, this article explores the convergence of harm reduction rationales and violence prevention programming in the urban margins to advocate for women's health empowerment and health rights as victims of intergenerational trauma and violence. We propose a methodological shift of public health praxis from street-based outreach models to intimate spaces of intervention for health outcomes embodiment as we continue to develop our community health model to work with marginalised communities in the urban global South. Through this work committed to social justice in marginalised urban communities, we seek to support women's health needs through harm reduction in historically marginalised communities in urban settings.

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Background: Research examining the interrelated drivers of household violence against women and violence against children is nascent, particularly in humanitarian settings. Gaps remain in understanding how relocation, displacement and ongoing insecurity affect families and may exacerbate household violence.

Methods: Employing purposive sampling, we used photo elicitation methods to facilitate semi-structured, in-depth interviews with female and male adolescents and adults aged 13-75 ( = 73) in two districts in Colombia from May to August of 2017.

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Health inequities across the Americas are avoidable and unjust yet continue to persist. Systemic social determinants of health, which could be addressed at the policy level, are root causes of many inequities and prevent marginalized individuals and at-risk populations from reaching optimal health and well-being. In this article, we describe our approach to promote health equity through the intersectoral partnerships that were forged, and strategies that were shared, during the convening entitled "Summit 2017: Health Equity in the Americas" and the resulting emergence of the Health Equity Network of the Americas (HENA).

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Drawing from qualitative research conducted in a participatory action research framework with 28 transgender women in Colombia, this paper presents the stigma-related barriers to healthcare experienced by trans women and their experiences of multi-level violence within the healthcare system. The authors also discuss how advocacy work was conducted as part of the research process and how trans community leaders were involved throughout the project in order to promote policy-relevance and community-based implementation of findings. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the experiences of violence and stigmatisation within the health care system is linked to broader processes of structural stigma reproduced within Colombian society.

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Ugandan households play a central role in child care and protection, and household-level practices influence the ways in which children are protected from adversities. This study was designed to identify community perceptions of protective and harmful parenting practices in three districts in Uganda. It employed free-listing interviews to determine priorities and practices deemed to be important in providing care and protection to children.

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This paper presents the participatory visual research design and findings from a qualitative assessment of the social impact of bazuco and inhalant/glue consumption among street youth in Bogotá, Colombia. The paper presents the visual methodologies our participatory action research (PAR) team employed in order to identify and overcome the stigmas and discrimination that street youth experience in society and within state-sponsored drug rehabilitation programmes. I call for critical reflection regarding the broad application of the terms 'participation' and 'participatory' in visual research and urge scholars and public health practitioners to consider the transformative potential of PAR for both the research and practice of global public health in general and rehabilitation programmes for street-based substance abuse in Colombia in particular.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Amy Ritterbusch"

  • - Amy Ritterbusch's recent research focuses on the intersectionality of violence against vulnerable populations, particularly children and women, highlighting their marginalized voices in the global south and in humanitarian contexts.
  • - She emphasizes the importance of participatory research and activism in addressing social determinants of health and promoting health equity, particularly during and after crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • - Ritterbusch's studies incorporate qualitative methodologies to understand the lived experiences of groups like transgender women and marginalized communities, aiming to inform health promotion strategies and interventions tailored to their unique needs.