Astuces de recherche
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur believes that criminalization has adverse consequences on the enjoyment of the right to health of those who engage in consensual same-sex conduct, through the creation of the societal perception that they are "abnormal" and criminals. This has a severe deleterious impact on their self-regard, with significant, and sometimes tragic, consequences on their health-seeking behaviour and mental health. Rates of suicide attempts amongst youth who engage in consensual same-sex conduct have been variously reported as between three and seven times higher than for youth who identify as heterosexual; the rates are similar for adults.
- 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
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) defines sex workers as "female, male and transgender adults and young people who receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services, either regularly or occasionally, and who may or may not consciously define those activities as income-generating". It is noted, however, that no single term adequately covers the range of transactions worldwide that involve sex work (the term "sex worker" is increasingly used within the sector, as it is considered less stigmatizing and a better descriptor of workers' experiences than the word "prostitute").
- 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
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- States that implement and enforce criminal or other laws to restrict access to sexual and reproductive health information actively reduce access to information and therefore do not meet their obligation to respect the right to health. As a consequence of such laws and the stigma they generate, third parties, such as teachers, publishers, or booksellers may also deny women and girls access to necessary sexual and reproductive health materials. The obligation of States to fulfil the right to health requires that they develop strategies to ensure that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and information is provided to everyone, especially women and young girls.
- 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
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of the right to health of young persons under the age of 18. Article 24 of the Convention affirms the right to health as established in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which is especially relevant given the importance of sexual and reproductive health to the lives of young women and men. The Convention urges States to ensure prenatal and post-natal care for mothers, develop family planning education and services and ensure the elimination of traditional practices that are "prejudicial to the health of 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)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Family planning empowers women to make autonomous and informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health. It reduces maternal mortality by delaying pregnancies in young women who would otherwise face an increased risk of health problems and death from early childbearing. Evidence shows that access to voluntary family planning can reduce maternal deaths by between 25 and 40 per cent. Family planning also reduces the number of unsafe abortions and the perinatal transmission of HIV. Condom use not only results in lower incidences of sexually transmitted infections but, when used correctly and consistently, male condoms are 98 per cent effective toward preventing pregnancy.
- 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
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- International assistance is often conditioned on recipient States adopting policies in line with the social, political or economic interests and ideologies of donors. Conditional aid may require recipient States to implement specific health strategies preferred by donors in order to obtain funds. Donor-driven strategies, however, may not be aligned with the health needs of recipient States and may instead distort domestic health priorities. For example, donor funds earmarked for abstinence-only programmes in AIDS-affected countries promote the benefits of abstaining from sexual activity until marriage, but are required to withhold valuable information about the health benefits of condoms and contraception on the premise that such information contradicts the message of abstinence. Studies have found abstinence-only programmes to be ineffective in preventing HIV and that withholding information about contraceptives places young people at increased risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- As noted by the Security Council (resolution 1820 (2008)) and others, certain civilians may be targeted on the basis of their perceived or actual association with ethnic, religious or political groups. Such strategies infringe human dignity and are manifestly incompatible with the right to health. In certain circumstances, they may also qualify as crimes against humanity, genocide or war crimes. For example, the use of gender-based violence as a strategy of conflict has been well documented. Such violence can include incestuous rape and public rape, rape as a deliberate vector of HIV, camps specifically designed for forced impregnation of women, and premeditated rape as a tool of political repression. Women and girls are common targets of sexual violence, although men and young boys may also be targeted with equal severity. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has noted (see E/CN.4/2004/13) among others, armed groups may also specifically target sex workers, sexual and ethnic minorities and other communities as a tool for "social cleansing" of "undesirable elements". By treating civilians as objects of conflict, the physical and psychological impact of sexual violence may extend beyond immediate survivors and disempower whole communities. Due to the stigma attached to sexual violence, survivors are often forced into silence and excluded from their communities. The impact of sexual violence on the mental health of survivors, as well as their family and community may endure for generations. Sexual violence also compromises the participation of targeted communities in public health efforts long after conflict has ended.
- 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
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In addition to marketing of unhealthy food targeted at children, including through toy giveaways, competitions, social media, cartoon characters, games, television, movies, interactive websites and in youth-oriented settings such as schools and recreation centres, parents are also often targeted by such pervasive marketing. This is done to encourage parents to buy unhealthy foods for their children. In many cases, the food industry's marketing to children and their parents may be disproportionately aimed at particular racial, ethnic or socioeconomic groups, exacerbating health inequities faced by those groups.
- 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
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Children are also frequently exposed to junk foods in both public and private settings. Food served or sold in institutional settings such as schools may be disproportionately weighted towards junk foods or other foods of limited nutritional value, particularly in school lunch programmes, where funds for healthier foods may be limited. Other places serving children and youth, such as sports centres, may also lack healthy food options. In the private sector, meals designed for children are often high in fat, sugar and salt, and fail to meet children's nutritional needs, especially at fast food establishments. This may be the case even for foods marketed as "healthy" children's meals. Where genuinely nutritious options are available, the default option may still be the unhealthy one.
- 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
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- States are urged to implement their obligations regarding children's right to health, which requires States to address obesity in children, limit children's exposure to fast foods and drinks high in sugar and caffeine and other harmful substances, regulate the marketing of such foods and control their availability in schools and other places frequented by children. States should also ensure that effective health education and awareness programmes are targeted toward children, such as countermarketing campaigns or peer education programmes, and that healthy food options and information relating to them are available at institutions serving children, such as schools, paediatric health facilities or youth centres.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- At least 200 million children under the age of 5 fail to reach their full potential. According to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, young children's earliest years are the foundation for their health and development across the life course. Their nutritional and health status, as well as the quality of their relationships and social interactions, have life-long implications for their development and health. Early childhood is the most effective and efficient time to ensure that all children develop their full potential and the returns on investment in early child development are substantial. Regrettably, children's right to development has thus far not received the same attention as their right to survival.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- The present report focuses on the right to the highest attainable standard of health ("right to health") and its relationship to the right of the young child to survival and development. These rights are interconnected and indivisible. Their relationship has two key dimensions: (a) The right to survival and healthy development is central to the enjoyment of the right to physical and mental health throughout life; (b) The right to health in early childhood includes freedoms and entitlements that are not only essential to immediate survival and health, but also to the healthy development of the child and the adult s/he will become.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- The right to health provides a valuable normative and legally binding framework to support the health-related dimensions of early child development. It places a legal obligation on States to guarantee the right to healthy development of children; eliminate discrimination and inequalities that obstruct equitable healthy development; ensure participation of stakeholders by including parents and young children in relevant efforts; devote maximum available resources to the healthy development of children; develop suitable laws and policies, including a comprehensive national plan; and ensure accountability.
- 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
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Young children's rights to health and development are intrinsically linked in two main ways. First, poor physical or mental health in early childhood is among several interconnected factors that can limit the right to optimal development. About 200 million children fail to reach their developmental potential because of poverty, inequality and discrimination; poor health; poor nutrition, including malnutrition and iodine and iron deficiency; intrauterine growth restriction; a lack of stable, nurturing and responsive environments with learning opportunities; and a lack of safe, supportive physical environments. HIV/AIDS, malaria, violence and maternal depression also cause severe setbacks.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Other rights relevant to survival and development that are also interconnected and interrelated with the rights to health and life include the rights of young children to be registered at birth; to education; play; a standard of living adequate for the child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development; adequate housing; adequate nutrition; social security; water and sanitation; and the right to be free from all forms of violence. The present report focuses on the right to health, including aspects of children's development that fall within the 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
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Health systems, including health-care services and preventive services, should offer, in cooperation with social, child protection, educational and other relevant services, a continuum of care for children and families. Health systems are central to the care of pregnant women, childbirth, postnatal care of the mother and child and the care of young children. Health systems are important not only in relation to specific biomedical interventions, but because they often constitute the only infrastructure that reaches young children, particularly those under 3 years of age, and can therefore initiate and foster health promotion and social service support to promote early child development and prevent risks. For example, health visits or growth monitoring sessions can provide an opportunity to incorporate other child development recommendations. The health system is therefore often in a good position to take a lead in providing integrated care for 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)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Palliative care for young children is an obligatory part of health-care services, beginning when the illness is diagnosed and continuing regardless of whether or not a child receives curative treatment. Young children in need of palliative care have the right to receive the necessary physical, social, psychosocial and spiritual care to ensure their development and promote their best possible quality of life. Symptom management and pain relief are central to children's palliative care. Health systems must have adequately trained professionals to assess and treat pain in children of different ages and developmental stages and ensure the availability of paediatric diagnostic procedures and palliative care medicines in paediatric formulations. Palliative care for children must also involve ongoing support to the child's family throughout the course of treatment and, should the disease be the cause of death, into bereavement.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Inequalities and discrimination obstruct equitable healthy development and educational attainment among young children from marginalized groups, including persons living in poverty, minority and indigenous groups, the girl child, persons with disabilities, persons in underserved areas such as rural populations, refugees, internally displaced children and children living in areas affected by conflict. Inequalities and discrimination ultimately contribute to health and other inequalities later in life and to the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage.
- 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
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- The twin fundamental human rights principles of equality and non discrimination mean that States have legally binding human rights obligations to immediately address the healthy development of young children from marginalized groups so they can enjoy the right to health on the basis of equality. This obligation corresponds to the three pillars of the process of progressively achieving universal health coverage - expand priority services, include more people and reduce out-of-pocket payments - and must be addressed when providing services for young children and their families from disadvantaged groups. The collection and analysis of disaggregated data are necessary to reveal which groups are disproportionately affected. Outreach and other programmes are required to ensure that disadvantaged children enjoy the same access to health care and other relevant services as other children (A/HRC/7/11 and Corr.1, para. 42).
- 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
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- Early intervention services for children with disabilities should follow a human rights-based approach, including provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Governments should ensure that all young children with disabilities grow up in families and that they and their families receive all necessary services to remove barriers and promote their rights in the same manner that the rights of children without disabilities are promoted. Practices based on institutional care and overuse of biomedical interventions for young children with developmental disabilities should be abandoned as they are outdated and often violate basic rights and freedoms.
- 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
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- These practices, if performed without due consideration for the best interests and evolving capacities of young children, can have detrimental, long-lasting effects on their health and well-being; violate their basic rights to physical integrity, privacy and autonomy; and may amount to ill-treatment or even torture. In addition, the sex assigned at birth becomes a legal and social factor, often permanent or difficult to change, that will determine the life and development of the child and affect his/her right to develop a personal identity.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- States have a legally binding obligation to ensure the participation of rights holders in priority-setting; legislative and policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and accountability for the realization of the right to health and the holistic development of the young child. All segments of the population, including the most marginalized, must be empowered to participate (A/HRC/27/31, paras. 28-30). States must create an enabling environment for participation, for example by enhancing the knowledge and awareness of stakeholders, including the parents of 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)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- Second, in accordance with their evolving capacities, young children, including infants, have a right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them and to have these views taken into account. Infants and very young children have particular forms of expression, which, because of their age, are sometimes non-verbal. Young children should be active participants in the promotion, protection and monitoring of their rights within the family, the community and society, in accordance with their evolving capacities. States must therefore ensure the necessary institutional arrangements for the participation of young children and their caregivers.
- 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
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- The cooperation between sectors can also be beneficial to facilitate access to preschool education, especially for children of families at risk, and enable community readiness to accept and integrate children and adults with disabilities into all of the everyday life of the community. This approach can also offer opportunities for adolescents and youth at risk to find alternatives to youth violence by engaging them in community programmes that support recreation centres for older persons, thus contributing to the reinforcement of intergenerational links and improving the quality of human relationships in general.
- 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
- Children
- Older persons
- Persons with disabilities
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- To date, the approach to violence reduction has been fragmented, compartmentalizing different forms of violence. Importantly, many forms of violence continue to be tolerated within societies and even supported by States. For example, violence against women and children remains accepted in many societies as a cultural norm. The institutional care of young children, a clear act of violence against children, remains widespread in many countries. Around the world, many groups in vulnerable situations, including women, persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, experience numerous forms of violence. Each example is also a violation of various human rights protected under international law, including the 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)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- As the global community is concerned by the increasing prevalence of collective violence, including violent extremism, it is important to note how the relationship between collective violence and interpersonal forms of violence may reinforce and feed one another. For example, violence against children in families can lead to high prevalence of youth violence and may contribute to the phenomenon of violent extremism. Prohibiting boys from expressing emotions from an early age, enforcing a toxic and primitive understanding of masculinity, has been linked to acts of extreme violence by young men and reinforced a tendency to join groups and movements that are involved in collective violence.
- 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)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- The nature of adolescents' mental health needs differs from that of adults and requires targeted services. However, a national health system of well-functioning, effective and adolescent-friendly services remains the exception rather than the rule. Less than one third of low- and middle-income countries have a designated youth mental health entity and most lack youth-focused mental health policies. Where they do exist, they often fail to meet quality standards and may even be harmful to the health and development of adolescents. Adolescents may be detained for a long time in overcrowded, in-patient facilities where little attempt is made at rehabilitation or social integration. These approaches violate adolescents' human rights and worsen, rather than ameliorate, mental health conditions.
- 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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- The harms associated with drug use and involvement in the drug trade cannot be disentangled from State responses. Evidence shows that repressive and punitive responses to drugs have not been effective in reducing drug use or supply and that they have produced negative consequences, including violence and corruption. Criminalization of drug use and personal possession, as well as drug user registries and police violence, drive young people from services, producing a health-deterrent effect. Prevention and education programmes that focus on zero tolerance create an environment where adolescents may be less likely to seek information about harms related to use. Adolescents have lost parents to drug-related violence and to prolonged incarceration for non-violent offences, with significant implications for their mental 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)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- States should adopt appropriate measures to protect children from illicit drug use and involvement in the illicit drug trade. However, this must be read in the context of the protections afforded by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights obligations. Almost all States have obligations under the three United Nations drug control conventions, which must be read in conformity with concurrent human rights obligations. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control contains specific provisions aimed at the protection of children and young people, and which complement the 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)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph