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Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Reproductive health rights also feature prominently in the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals, which affirm the rights of women to control all aspects of their health, to respect bodily autonomy and integrity and to decide freely in matters relating to their sexuality and reproduction, free of discrimination, coercion and violence. The Beijing Platform for Action states that States should consider removing punitive measures related to sexual and reproductive health. The relationship between improved sexual and reproductive health for women and poverty reduction is particularly emphasized. Unfortunately, the Millennium Development Goals Report 2010 declared that progress in parts of the world in some indicative areas, such as adolescent pregnancy and contraceptive use, had slowed and that aid for family planning as a proportion of total aid to health had declined sharply between 2000 and 2008.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In their application, criminal laws and other legal restrictions may prevent access to certain sexual and reproductive health-care goods, such as contraceptive methods, directly outlaw a particular service, such as abortion, or ban the provision of sexual and reproductive information through school-based education programmes or otherwise. In practice, these laws affect a wide range of individuals, including women who attempt to undergo abortions or seek contraception; friends or family members who assist women to access abortions; practitioners providing abortions; teachers providing sexual education; pharmacists supplying contraceptives; employees of institutions that are established to provide family planning services; human rights defenders advocating for sexual and reproductive health rights; and adolescents seeking access to contraception for consensual sexual activity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has strongly disapproved of restrictive abortion laws, especially those that prohibit and criminalize abortion in all circumstances (see CEDAW/C/CH/CO/4, para. 19). It has also confirmed that such legislation does not prevent women from procuring unsafe illegal abortions and has framed restrictive abortion laws as a violation of the rights to life, health and information. The Committee on the Rights of the Child is also concerned about the impact of highly restrictive abortion laws on the right to health of adolescent girls. The Committee against Torture has further stated that punitive abortion laws should be reassessed since they lead to violations of a woman's right to be free from inhuman and cruel treatment. The Human Rights Committee concluded that equality between men and women required equal treatment in the area of health and the elimination of discrimination in the provision of goods and services and addressed the need to review abortion laws to prevent rights violations (see CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.10, paras. 20, 28 and 31). The former Special Rapporteur on the right to health called for removal of punitive measures against women who seek abortions (see E/CN.4/2004/49, para. 30).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Other laws restricting access to family planning and contraception include a city-wide de facto ban on so-called "artificial" contraception in one jurisdiction, which created significant difficulty for women in accessing reliable forms of birth control (see A/HRC/14/20/Add.1). A total of 70 per cent of the affected population, a majority of whom were poor and marginalized, depended on Government providers for services including female sterilization, oral pills, intrauterine devices and injectables (ibid.). The ban resulted in the absolute deprivation of access to family planning services and contraception for many women and men. In other instances, States require women to obtain their husband's consent and adolescents to obtain parental consent before acquiring various forms of contraception. Other jurisdictions allow pharmacists, and in some cases pharmacies, to refuse to dispense emergency contraception, which is otherwise legally available. These laws directly infringe upon the right of women and girls to make free and informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health and reflect discriminatory notions of women's roles in the family and society.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- General Comment No. 14 places emphasis on access to information because it is a critical component of the right to health (ibid; footnote 8), and particularly guarantees access to sexual and reproductive health information. States are additionally required to provide adequate resources and refrain "from censoring, withholding or intentionally misrepresenting health-related information, including sexual education and information (see E/C.12/2000/14, para. 14)". The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has recommended that a comprehensive understanding of the content of sexual and reproductive education encompass the topics of reproductive rights, responsible sexual behaviour, sexual and reproductive health, prevention of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, prevention of teenage pregnancies, and family planning, and stressed that education campaigns are urgently needed to combat harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. Comprehensive education and information on sexual and reproductive health is also useful in reducing knowledge gaps between men and women on these issues.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The fields of global health and human rights have, in recent years, developed accountability analysis and institutions, which can inspire accountability for the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and help to shape new arrangements. In 2011, the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health, established to propose a framework to ensure that commitments made under the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health (2010-2015) were met, proposed a tripartite model of accountability, composed of monitoring, review and remedial action. That model, derived from the human rights understanding of accountability, was subsequently taken up by the Secretary-General, including in the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health 2016-2030, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals related to women's, children's and adolescents' health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Another key mechanism is the Independent Accountability Panel, appointed earlier in 2016, which will monitor progress towards the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the appointment of the Panel and will follow its work with interest.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Private, out-of-pocket payments account for about 50 per cent of total health expenditures in countries where more than 50 per cent of the population is living on less than $2 per day. It is actually the poorest and most in need who suffer from such payments. Universal health coverage consistent with the right to health requires establishing a financing system that is equitable and pays special attention to the poor and others unable to pay for health-care services, such as children and adolescents.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- A holistic approach to addressing violence is consistent with the aim of collectively implementing the Sustainable Development Goal targets on violence across the agenda. It is also consonant with the indivisible and interrelated nature of human rights. From a human rights and public health perspective, violence must be addressed comprehensively, including obligations to eliminate violence within health-care settings, to address how structural factors, such as laws and policies, institutionalize violence and to eliminate violence against women and children. The right to health also includes an entitlement to safe access to health care and to a safe environment. Importantly, children and adolescents have a right to be free from violence and to healthy development.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 103s
- Paragraph text
- [As a matter of priority, the Special Rapporteur recommends that:] Member States comply with obligations under the right-to-health framework to address violence, using modern public health interventions, especially regarding children and adolescents, and to that end, adopt legal and policy measures to eliminate all forms of violence against children;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- In September 2015, the General Assembly is to adopt a set of sustainable development goals that will replace the Millennium Development Goals as the focus of the international development agenda. At the same time, a new global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health is to be launched. The ending of preventable deaths of newborns and children under five is a target of the "zero draft" of the sustainable development goals.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- The global health community has also given attention to the human rights dimensions of under-5 mortality and morbidity and has committed to ground its efforts in human rights. The Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health is grounded in global human rights commitments and emphasizes that legislation and policies should be in line with human rights. The new global strategy, which is to replace the existing strategy in the coming months, will call for the integration of human rights in all efforts to improve women's, children's and adolescents' health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Reinforcing the sustainable development goals approach, the "zero draft" of the global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health is structured around three goals: survive (ending preventable deaths); thrive (realizing health and rights); transform (comprehensive change for women's, children's and adolescents' health and sustainable development).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Experts recommend major changes in routine baby medical checks to detect and address social and emotional difficulties, which could be early signs of toxic stress, as a means of reducing many of society's most complex and costly medical issues, from heart disease to alcohol and drug abuse. In addition, some of the evidence-based health interventions that are included in the "zero draft" of the new global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health, such as nutrition counselling and "kangaroo" mother care for small babies, can be very useful in assisting main actors adopting a modern approach to health interventions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- Adolescence (10-19 years of age) is a life stage when inequities become more sharply differentiated in terms of access to services, life decisions and future trajectories. Foundations laid down during adolescence, in terms of emotional security, health, education, skills, resilience and the understanding of rights will have profound implications for the social, economic and political development of adolescents. The costs of failing adolescents are high, which is why a powerful case exists for paying greater attention to the right of adolescents to the highest attainable standard of health and development.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- There is a growing focus on adolescence within the international health and development community, as reflected, most notably, in the Global Strategy on Women's, Children's and Adolescents Health 2016-2030. These are important and welcome commitments that now need to be translated into action on the ground.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The population of adolescents globally is estimated to be over 1.2 billion, 88 per cent of whom live in developing countries. Adolescents represent 18 per cent of the world's population. Although adolescence is inherently characterized by relatively low mortality compared to other age groups, it is associated with emerging and complex risk factors, resulting in patterns of behaviour that affect long-term morbidity and mortality. Likewise, adolescents are one of the groups that existing health services serve least well.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- It is estimated that 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012 from preventable or treatable causes. Road traffic accidents, suicide and homicide, violence and war, drowning and fire-related incidents account for about 40 per cent of all deaths among youth (people aged between 15 and 24 years). A small percentage of adolescents suffer from life-limiting and sometimes terminal illness, of which a majority are estimated to have no access to palliative care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Lack of access to safe reproductive health services and information contributes to adolescent girls among the most at risk of dying or suffering from serious or lifelong injuries associated with early pregnancies and childbirth. The lack of effective adolescent mental health policies and services leads to significant failures in emotional and social development, including violence against and among adolescents. Nearly all these risks are preventable, with outcomes grounded in physical and social environments and frequently mediated by their behaviours.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- The rate and breadth of developmental change during adolescence is second only to that experienced in early childhood. While investments during the past 20 years have resulted in enormous gains for children in the early years, far less recognition has been afforded by policymakers to the implications of development in the second decade of life. Over the past 50 years, health has improved far less among adolescents than it has among young children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- While there are many health issues of concern during adolescence, in the present report the Special Rapporteur focuses on mental health, substance use and drug control, and the rights to sexual and reproductive health, in view of the particular challenges they pose in balancing adolescents' emerging autonomy with their right to protection. Using the right-to-health framework, the Special Rapporteur underlines the importance of valuing adolescents' strengths and engaging with them as partners in informing and shaping the measures needed to realize the right to health and the optimum development of adolescents.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur recognizes the heterogeneity of adolescence and that definitions vary by country and region. However, to promote consistency and facilitate the measurement of adolescent health, this report adopts the definition of the World Health Organization, which views adolescents as persons between the ages of 10 and 19 years (until the twentieth birthday).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Adolescence is a life stage of intrinsic value, not merely a transition between childhood and adulthood. It is a critical developmental stage characterized by growing cognitive abilities and emotional competencies, during which the brain has substantial neural plasticity. The physical, mental and social potential established during the second decade contributes to enhanced intellectual ability and emotional functioning throughout adulthood.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Adolescent health is the result of interactions between early childhood development and the specific biological and social role changes that accompany puberty, shaped by social determinants and by risk and protective factors that affect the uptake of health-related behaviours. While adolescents themselves have the capacity to contribute to their own health and well-being, they can only achieve this goal if States respect and protect their rights and provide them with access to the necessary conditions, services and information.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Adolescence is a period of development towards increasing capacity for independent decision-making, moving away from the protective environments associated with earlier childhood. It is accompanied by greater experimentation, risk-taking and impulsivity and by the increased influence of the peer group. These behaviours contribute to building resilience, character and self-confidence and to the exploration and understanding of boundaries, and reflect the gradual adjustment from protection towards autonomy. Accordingly, while adolescents under 18 years of age continue to be entitled to protection from violence, abuse and exploitation, as well as to consideration of their best interests, under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the nature of those protections and their application must reflect the emerging competencies acquired throughout adolescence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The transition towards adulthood is characterized by the changing nature of relationships. Across cultures, adolescents begin to attach far greater significance to and are increasingly influenced by their peer group and less by family and caregivers. Adolescents also begin to explore their sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity. There is considerable diversity in combinations of gender identities, expression and sexual orientation, irrespective of whether such diversity is culturally accepted. It is increasingly clear that sexual orientation and gender identity derive from a complex interplay of biological, genetic and social factors and that individuals have little or no choice in its determination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Supporting adolescents to navigate successfully the challenging path towards healthy emotional, psychosocial, physical and sexual development requires recognition of their rights to information, freedom of expression and association, protection from all forms of violence, safety, bodily integrity and family life, and respect for their dignity and evolving capacities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Although opportunities for adolescents in many parts of the world have improved in recent years, the second decade of life is associated with exposure to increasing risks to the right to health, including violence, abuse, sexual or economic exploitation, trafficking, harmful traditional practices, migration, radicalization, recruitment into gangs or militias, self-harm, substance use and dependence and obesity. Gender inequalities become more significant as, for example, girls become exposed to child marriage, sexual violence and lower levels of enrolment in secondary education. The world in which adolescents live poses profound challenges, including poverty and inequality, climate change and environmental degradation, urbanization and migration, radical changes in employment potential, aging societies, rising health-care costs and escalating humanitarian and security crises.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- States policies towards adolescents are too often characterized by targeted or punitive interventions aimed at addressing problems such as juvenile delinquency and violence, as well as perceived challenges, including substance use and sexual activity; too little attention is typically paid to building positive environments in which adolescents can thrive. Punitive and excessively biomedical interventions ignore the powerful social and economic determinants influencing adolescent behaviour, opportunities and well-being. Stigmatizing, demonizing and discriminating against adolescents by, for example, criminalizing or pathologizing their behaviours and diversities, negatively affects their socially perceived roles, self-esteem, well-being and sense of empowerment. These approaches fail adolescents, their holistic development and their right to health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- One-size-fits-all policies designed for children or youth often fail to address adolescents, particularly 10-14 year-olds. Lack of awareness or understanding of their unique health needs can render adolescents invisible. Adolescents face multiple barriers to health services, including the following: restrictive laws and policies; unavailability of contraception or safe abortions; inaccessible services owing to lack of information, distance or cost; failure to ensure privacy and confidentiality; parental consent or notification requirements; provision of services in a manner that is disrespectful, hostile, judgemental or lacking sympathy; and discrimination against particular groups of adolescents, including those with disabilities, those living and working on the streets or in the sex trade and those from historically marginalized groups. States have positive human rights obligations to guarantee adolescents' rights and meaningfully engage with them in identifying their needs and priorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph