Values, Policies and Rights

Whose rights count?

Enthusiasm for “rights-based approaches” to development has grown during the past decade. Rights now have diverse meanings within the policies and actions of development agencies, governments and civil society organisations. This “rise of rights” has sparked critical reflection about the origins of rights-based approaches to development and what they mean in policy and practice. One of the key concerns, as with all development fashions, is “what is really different this time?” Can this emerging focus on rights help to bring about real changes in favour of poor and marginalised people? How do we know that “rights-based development” is not just putting new labels on old wine? This is the issue explored by the 'IDS Bulletin' from the Institute of Development Studies.

Launch of global database on health and human rights

As part of basic building-blocks to develop a solid foundation for WHO's emerging work on health and human rights, a Global Database on Health and Human Rights Actors has just been launched on WHO Health and Human Rights website. This database contains information gathered from a survey of organizations concerning their structures and programs. It is searchable by country (where the organization is located) or by specific health issue.

Using Human Rights to Combat the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

The HIV/AIDS pandemic presents a stark example of the nexus between human rights and health. This first became evident when government responses to HIV/AIDS subjected people living with the disease to violations of their rights to liberty, privacy, freedom of association, nondiscrimination, and equality before the law. As the pandemic has progressed, it has become apparent that human rights law is relevant not only to the treatment of infected individuals but also to wider policies that influence vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, as populations that are discriminated against, marginalized, and stigmatized are at a greater risk of contracting the disease.

Health, human rights and mobilization of resources for health
BMC International Health and Human Rights 2004

This paper argues that the human rights framework does provide us with an appropriate understanding of what values should guide a nation's health policy, and a potentially powerful means of moving the health agenda forward. It also, however, argues that appeals to human rights may not necessarily be effective at mobilizing resources for specific health problems one might want to do something about. Specifically, it is not possible to argue that a particular allocation of scarce health care resources should be changed to a different allocation, benefiting other groups. Lack of access to health care services by some people only shows that something has to be done, but not what should be done.

Putting reproductive health back on the agenda

The Cairo Agenda – a set of international agreements – which came out of the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, shifted policy focus away from population control. Access to good quality reproductive health care for both women and men was promoted as a right. The more recently agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) however, narrowed the focus down to maternal mortality. While it is crucial to address maternal mortality, it is important to bring reproductive health back into the picture as without this the MDGs will not be met.

Reproductive health and human rights: integrating medicine, ethics and law

An adolescent woman requests a contraceptive method from a health provider in a country where access for under-aged users is restricted; a couple denounces an involuntary sterilization to a local nongovernmental organization; a woman requests a legal abortion in a context where termination of pregnancy is highly stigmatized and access to safe services is denied her. These are just examples of terribly unfortunate but common features in developing countries, where women, particularly poor women, lack the necessary power to successfully fight for their needs and rights. A meaningful and appropriate response to these complex situations requires a comprehensive approach. As acknowledged by the authors of ‘Reproductive health and human rights: integrating medicine, ethics and law’, no single discipline or perspective will resolve the many dilemmas involved in protecting reproductive and sexual health.

Access to essential medicines

"The fact that a very large part of the world’s population has inadequate access or none to essential and often life-saving medicines is of grave concern. It results in a vast loss of life and much suffering, more particularly among the poor and underprivileged. It is in blatant contradiction to the fundamental principles of human rights. And, even if one were to set humanitarian considerations side, it results in serious damage to the economy and to the functioning of society."

Sexual and reproductive health and rights

In this paper, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) sets out its position on sexual and reproductive health and rights, reaffirming its commitment to realising the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). New challenges are highlighted, including the HIV/AIDS pandemic; threats to international consensus; increasing demand for reproductive health services; and weak or failing health systems, alongside a shortage of skilled health workers.

Abortion and Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tradition and culture, the determination and ingenuity of women, and the concern and commitment of health care providers often circumvent the law to find expression. For example, though legal reform is not yet feasible in Mozambique, three large public hospitals have begun to provide elective abortions.

From charity to rights: proposal for five action areas of global health
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2004;58:630-631

"I believe that we are at a turning point for public health - and that our choices are stark: either we reorient and strengthen public health within both modern and developing societies and institute a resilient system of global governance for health or we will face dire consequences in terms of human, social, and economic development. At present, it is the poorest countries that are paying the price for this negligence - but we have mounting signals that a new health divide is in the making as a large global underclass spreads out around the globe and defies the old definitions of vulnerable groups."

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