Editorial: Public and community engagement in health science research: Openings and obstacles for listening and responding in the majority world.
Armed conflict, natural disasters, and forced relocation are among the humanitarian problems affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide 1 , 2.
Almost 80 million people have been evicted from their homes against their will 3 , and one in every six children lives in or near a combat zone 4. Humanitarian emergencies may arise due to natural disasters e. Also, humanitarian emergencies may be indicated in cases of forced displacements, as evident with the inflow of refugees into Lebanon and Bangladesh, and could be internal displacement, as seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and most recently, Cameroon 2. Additionally, complex emergencies co-occurrence of natural and manmade may necessitate urgent humanitarian emergencies to curb immediate and future public health issues 2.
Complex emergencies can occur when there is a breakdown in authority, an attack on a critical location, looting, numerous other conflict situations, or even wars 2. Some countries are coping with many crises simultaneously or protracted crises that have lasted for decades 5. Few studies have examined the difficulties in forming solid and balanced research partnerships, despite the limited or lack of research in such settings being widely discussed over the past decade 6.
Methodological constraints, ethical concerns, security issues, and logistical challenges have been identified as the main barriers to conducting research in such settings 7.
