Award for Peace Researcher Melanie Sauter
Her award-winning article with the title “Politicized health emergencies and violent resistance against healthcare responders” covers a highly relevant issue: Violence against healthcare employees in conflict areas.
Sauter examines the deployment of rescue workers during the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2018–2020) and explores the question of why the very aid workers who were supposed to protect the population from the disease were attacked.
The article shows how political grievances can lead to not only political violence involving civilians, but also the increased spread of a virus. Although a key factor in the attacks on healthcare staff was the mistrust of the population, political exclusion also played a decisive role. According to the jury, the article makes an important contribution to research into political violence and global health issues.
The Nils Petter Gleditsch Article of the Year Award has been presented annually since 2006. For nearly 30 years (1983-2010), Nils Petter Gleditsch served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Peace Research, which was founded in 1964. The award is endowed with 1,000 USD.
Link to the pressrelease
Sauter, M. (2024). Politicized health emergencies and violent resistance against healthcare responders. Journal of Peace Research, 61(4), 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433231158144