Structural Violence Theory

This essay will give a clear overview of the concept and theories of structural violence and how the idea can be used to encourage more attention on the fundamental cause of poverty and disease. It will as well look at how structural violence has an impact on illness and health. Furthermore, how clinician can lessen the effect of structural violence.
The term violence conveys an image of physical or emotional assault on a person. In most circumstances, the person affected due to violence is aware that a violent action has been performed on them. However, there is another form of violence where the affected individual, in most cases are unaware of the violence imposed upon them. These types of violence are termed as structural violence. The

It is a form of discrimination, social injustice, inequality between men and women, and denial of human rights. However, this type of violence is deep-rooted in social structure. In addition, this structural inequality subjects many poor people to premature death and epidemic disease, it denies them their basic human needs particularly the ones who do not have access to public health care services, clean water, good sanitation, and proper infrastructure. However, it is said that social and structural forces account for most epidemic disease, for example – someone living in a severe poor condition is more predisposed to different sorts of infection than someone living in a well-structured, favourable

These as a matter of fact, substantiate why poor people are susceptible to developing contagious chronic conditions like TB, poor ventilated house, overcrowded, no access to health services, unfavourable occupation and inadequate health information which could easily lead the spread of Tuberculosis in poor rural areas. Social or structural forces account for most epidemic disease. Poverty for example is an economic structural violence which has to be altered in order to attain and alleviate the burdens of disease amongst poor people.
On the fact of it, a poor individual who works in the mining industries is more at risk of getting Tuberculosis than an individual who works in a well-ventilated office- social inequality. However, structural violence is the determinant of distribution and outcome of disease Farmer (2006).this statement can however be reinforced by the point that health system plays an imperative part in addressing the social exclusion structural violence experienced by the