Between Family and Foreign Policy: A Gendered Approach to Understanding the Impact of Foreign Policy Failure on Human Security in the SIDS of the Caribbean

Abstract

The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the English-speaking Caribbean have unique vulnerabilities (“Developing a Vulnerability Index for SIDS”. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, May 9-10, 2002, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=380&menu=1634) associated with geography and economic size (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), “The Vulnerability of the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean”, March 13, 2000, http://www.cepal.org/publicaciones/xml/8/8118/G0588.html). Citizens therefore experience other forms of insecurity in addition to the traditional security issues, creating less secure communities and families. A key challenge for Caribbean SIDS is healthcare. The role of gender, an important determinant of health (WHO. The Madrid Statement. 2001. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/76508/A75328.pdf) and inequity, merits attention given the role women play in families and communities. Hudson et al. (Hudson, Valerie M., Mary Caprioli, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Rose McDermott, and Chad F. Emmett. “The Heart of the Matter: The Security of Women and the Security of States”. Quarterly Journal: International Security, vol. 33. No. 3. (Winter 2008/09): 7-45) linked security of women to security of states, signalling that while international affairs are the remit of diplomats, it is also that of healthcare professionals focussed on families, women and communities. Thus, understanding the repercussions of policy failure on human security can facilitate earlier interventions to secure healthier futures, ensuring each person realises their full potential.