Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Juan Almendares, Center for Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Torture and their Relatives(CPTRT), CPTRT Calle Principal colonia Reforma , contiguo a Centro Educacion Ideal, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 504- 2384027, juan.almendares@gmail.com

The traditional research method based on empirical or positivistic view has limitations when is referred to political, ecological, social and historical context which is related to health and specific diseases.

Research on torture, inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment by the governmental policy and environmental injustice by mining industry in Honduras and Central America are highly risky for researcher, torture survivors or victims of the ecological impacts. Four aspects must be considered: the ideological conceptions of the researcher, the external forces that interfere with the research process, credibility of the study for publication in a scientific journal and the ethical principles of: the investigator and the persons who are investigated. Several questions arise: Is possible to be neutral when you are confronting with torture survivors? Are you in favor or against the security police of the government? Are you going to risk your personal and family life when are you denouncing human rights violations? What sources of information are going to be used: the officials or non officials? Is ethical to do a join research project with the mining industry? A new methodological research approach is required in order to study the torture and environmental impacts of the mining industry. A different theoretical considerations have to develop under a holistic, ecological, social and ethical vision that explain the major causes of diseases in Central America: the structural violence, inhuman capitalism based on human rights violations, ecological destruction and corruption.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the major obstacles to conducting research on torture and environmental issues

Keywords: Human Rights, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation