Causes and cures XIII: Global medicine approaches

The past several years have been a landmark moment for violence prevention, with renewed attention on the part of many international agencies, but especially the United Nations, with its adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The latter invites the world community to collaborate in an inclusive, long-ranging vision for the future, highlighting our interdependence and collective responsibility for humanity's future. A growing awareness that preventing violence does not just reduce death and disability but promotes creativity, economic growth, and general well-being is at the heart of this “movement”. An integration not only of the major disciplines but of various practical approaches is timely, and for this to occur, we require a broader overview of our existing societal structures. In this context, this fifteen article series modeled after a Global Health Studies course entitled, “Violence: Causes and Cures,” reviews the mechanisms that society has used in an attempt to stem violence. Following the article on public health, which has established that violence is preventable, this paper examines the approaches of global medicine, which begins with the local and human aspects of medical care. A model of compassion, altruism, respect, and encouragement is proposed for a person-centered, humanistic approach. Taking into account human suffering, principles of caregiving, cultural and religious sensitivity, and fostering of resilience and creativity is urgently needed in an increasingly globalizing world.