Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war[horizontal ellipsis]
Ed McCurdy
Recently, a very good friend of Ukrainian ancestry sent me a poignant video of a couple singing a heartfelt song entitled "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream." The song was recorded in a church somewhere in the world-the acoustics were phenomenal-and I was immediately brought to tears. I have since learned that this antiwar ballad was written by Ed McCurdy in 1950 and recorded by many famous musicians over the years. I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I had not heard it previously.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, I have been haunted by the brutality of this invasion, and the ongoing atrocities are not only heartbreaking, but incomprehensible. This has been one of the more challenging editorials I have written in my role as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Forensic Nursing. I have had many false starts, with many drafts saved to my desktop-none of which I finished and none of which offered sage insights or profound musings. The last couple of years have been challenging on many fronts-we have yet to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic (something I previously could not conceive of in my lifetime)-and now the war in Ukraine. Unlike other contemporary conflicts, the thought of this war escalating and impacting on world peace is a grim reality. I confess, I don't want to watch the daily news updates (at times, ignorance is my go-to coping mechanism), but I believe I must. I need to know what is going on.
However, as a forensic nurse, I didn't need to watch the news to know that human traffickers would be scavenging like vultures, preying on vulnerable exhausted and emotionally distraught and displaced people. Since the Russian invasion, more than 4.5 million Ukrainians (at the time of writing), primarily women and children, have sought refuge in countries bordering Ukraine, and beyond. The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently stated that "for predators and human traffickers, the war in Ukraine is not a tragedy[horizontal ellipsis]it's an opportunity-and women and children are the targets" (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2022). Such despicable acts have been documented previously, for example, Afghan refugees seeking safety from the Taliban, and Rohingya people fleeing from Myanmar. War, conflict, and persecution are humanitarian crises-ripe for human traffickers to prey upon desperate people. So where does global citizenship fit in?
I have been toying for some time now about writing an editorial on global citizenship, something I have come to understand as important to our interconnectedness as human beings and our responsibilities to one another and this world we inhabit. The war in Ukraine has forced me to contemplate further on what it means to be a global citizen. For many of us, the beliefs and values we hold as nurses are foundational to what it means to be a global citizen-we have intuitively embraced its tenets, although "global citizenship" may not be part of our vernacular. Global citizenship has been defined as "awareness, caring, and embracing cultural diversity while promoting social justice and sustainability, coupled with a sense of responsibility to act" (Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013, p. 858). Rosa (2020) asserts that "global citizenship depends on respect, altruism, and inclusion[horizontal ellipsis]it encourages nurses in every setting to critically reflect on how [they] see and engage the world, acknowledging biases, surrendering outdated ways of thinking and doing, and remaining curious about others and their stories" (p. 11).
The emergent crisis in Ukraine forces us to look beyond the many divisions that exist throughout the world. Yet, as I ponder this particular crisis, I can't ignore other political crises: the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the civil war in Ethiopia (the Tigray war), and the genocide of Rohingya Muslims-many who have fled to the squalor of refugee camps in Bangladesh. Furthermore, let's not forget about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as well as Syrian refugees and displaced persons living in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. As a global citizen, one does not pick and choose which crises to stand by-it is our moral responsibility to truly embrace the conceptual underpinnings of global citizenship. Clearly, our actions impact and are impacted by global forces, as Rosa (2020) reminds us: "We can no longer afford to think of you and I, but rather in terms of us" (p. 11).
Fully illuminating the ideals of global citizenship is beyond the scope of this editorial; however, I introduce it here, as I believe it warrants thoughtful reflection regarding how we as individuals, and as forensic nurses, embrace our moral responsibilities in meaningful ways. Global citizenship transcends social, political, cultural, and economic boundaries. We need to be mindful of the patients and clients whom we see in our day-to-day working lives, as well as our colleagues, as many will be touched directly or indirectly by the war in Ukraine; and others who have experienced similar traumas may need extra support. In all cases, we need to guard against opening old wounds and retraumatizing those in our care. Furthermore, as individuals, we need to be cognizant of our friends, family members, and communities who may also be suffering.
On March 3, 2022, the International Council of Nurses (2022) launched its #NursesForPeace campaign as a way for nurses throughout the world to express their solidarity and support and to donate to the International Council of Nurses' Humanitarian Fund. In addition, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Red Cross are among the many legitimate agencies to donate to. Should you decide to make a humanitarian donation, be sure to do your homework, as there are many disreputable "organizations" who, like human traffickers, are criminals only too willing to engage in scamming strategies to exploit your generosity.
In closing, my final message is modest at best, no sage insights or profound musings-I simply pray for peace in Ukraine.
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