Critical Reflection 7: How the Unfixable is Fixable
Structural violence, in Paul Farmer’s words, is a form of suffering that is trapped inside a historical or economic structure “that conspire — whether through routine, ritual, or, as is more commonly the case, the hard surfaces of life — to constrain agency” (Farmer 40). Furthermore, this kind of suffering targets the poor, as it restrains their ability to promote their lifestyles and opportunities, but more importantly, structural violence is more likely to go unnoticed by the rest of the individuals in a society (Farmer 50). Structural violence stunts the growth of the oppressed group in society, while allowing the dominant to flourish, and the majority of society views structural violence as just the way it is and always will be without seeking an answer to why it is occurring and how to stop it.
That is why Farmer suggests that we adopt the concept known as accompaniment that can create policy-level changes to structural violence. Accompaniment is defined as supporting someone in a time of hardship and being their necessary guide through their journey. However, in the context of structural violence, accompaniment can be useful in pinpointing exactly what parts of the structure are allowing the suffering to persist in the oppressed, and supporting these people through changes in policy. Farmer states that far too many people “conflated poverty and inequality, the end results of a long process of impoverishment, with ‘otherness’” (Farmer 48). If we do not view the oppressed as an equal member of society, then they will continue to go unnoticed. Being aware of these individuals is the foundation of accompaniment, and advocating for them through their journey of structural violence is how we utilize it.
Transitional justice is the practice of directly highlighting past injustices in the past, and demanding proper action that proves to those that were victims of the injustices that accountibility has been established (King and Page 1). Transitional justice can be demonstrated in a wide range of ways; it can be witnessed from individual-based accountability to legislation that shows that retribution is taking place in government. It is important to understand power imbalances that attributed to the injustice when seeking out transitional justice because it can give a more accurate depiction of why the injustice occurred and how it should be properly addressed and accounted for. At The Spahr Center, I have not witnessed any signs of transitional justice taking place, but there are visible challenges that I have identified that can be hurdles. The Spahr Center struggles to even be allowed to practice harm reduction due to the overwhelming disdain from the cities they attempt to mobilize in, as well as at the state government level. Although they have a ly an lobbyist that fights for policy changes and for the Spahr Center itself, there is a lot of focus on making sure they are on stable ground, which may distract from them attempting to address the systemic issues that their clients are undergoing. Another hurdle is the manner of which their mobile sites are conducted; a client approaches the van, takes the supplies they need, and leaves quickly. No one ever lingers, and it is hard to build enough trust between the Spahr Center and their clients to where we can find out their stories and utilize them for transitional justice.
