Search Tips
sorted by
30 shown of 74 entities
The right to mental health 2017, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur highlights the devastating impact that institutionalization has on young children, particularly on their mental health and holistic development. Mental health-related services for children receive inadequate investment and lack quality standards of care and staffing, thus creating an environment where abuse is common for children with disabilities or with difficulties in social and emotional development, especially for those in institutional care. There are many examples of innovative child mental health services and practices throughout the world and there is convincing research on their effectiveness in promoting mental health and preventing deterioration in mental health conditions. However, those good practices often serve merely as pilot projects, owing to a lack of political will to replicate and mainstream them in general childcare services.
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to mental health 2017, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Research has shown the damaging mental health and social impact of adversities and trauma experienced throughout childhood. Toxic stress, abusive family and intimate relationships, the placement of young children in institutional care, bullying, sexual, physical and emotional child abuse and parental loss negatively affect brain development and the ability to form healthy relationships, all affecting the ability of children to fully realize their right to health as they transition into adulthood (see A/HRC/32/32, paras. 67-73, and A/70/213, para. 67).
- 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
- 2017
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
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
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
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
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Protection of the human rights of those participating in sport and physical activity is a State obligation under the right to health. There are numerous documented instances of health rights abuses within competitive sport: the General Assembly has acknowledged with concern "the dangers faced by sportsmen and sportswomen, in particular young athletes, including, inter alia, child labour, violence, doping, early specialization, overtraining and exploitative forms of commercialization, as well as less visible threats and deprivations, such as the premature severance of family bonds and the loss of sporting, social and cultural ties".
- 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
- 2016
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
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- States should also provide training and materials to sports organizations on the adoption of rights-based approaches to health in the sporting context. These should include information on protection against physical, sexual and psychological abuse, exploitation and violence, on protection against discrimination and on gender equality, on appropriate limits for intensive training, especially for children and young people, on protection against coercive/forced doping and medical procedures, and on other rights connected to the right to health and sport, such as young athletes' right to an education.
- 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
- 2016
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
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- With regard to the prevention of substance use, children and young people should be provided with accurate and objective information, which should be available in easy-to-understand formats or Braille. Scare tactics and misinformation are known to be ineffective, whereas building resilience and trust while focusing on those demonstrating risk-taking behaviours has delivered promising results. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has produced guidance on drug prevention standards to be used when designing prevention policies and porgrammes.
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- The benefits of participation in physical activity and sport and the adoption of healthy lifestyles can be especially pronounced for children. Physically active young people have higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, better metabolic profiles, improved bone health and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Accordingly, WHO has recommended that children and adolescents should participate in 60 minutes of cumulative physical activity daily. Among adolescents, there is a correlation between participation in organized sport and an increased likelihood of meeting physical activity targets.
- 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
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- International sporting actors must take more action to ensure that the rights of children participating in their competitions or events are protected. Presently, there are no consistent minimum age limits for competing in international adult sporting events, nor is there any coordinated action regarding the international movement of children and adolescents for participation in high-level or professional sport. Responsibility for the well-being of young athletes is often delegated to States or national sporting organizations. International sporting actors should standardize policies and protocols concerning the participation of children in high-level or professional sport in order to protect the children's health and other human rights.
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- There is an alarming lack of HIV-related harm reduction services designed for adolescents who inject drugs, as well as multiple barriers to accessing such services, including age restrictions in law, and absence of data on injecting drug use among children and young people in most countries. Technical guidelines on HIV prevention, treatment care and support for young people who inject drugs have been developed, and should form the basis of States' efforts in this regard.
- 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
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- Prevention cannot justify disproportionate infringements of adolescents' rights, including their rights to privacy, bodily integrity and education. States are encouraged to continue to restrict and, when necessary, ban alcohol and tobacco advertising, which has too often targeted young people.
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Community empowerment initiatives working with poor and marginalized communities have achieved extraordinary health outcomes, for example in the global fight to end HIV/AIDS (target 3.3) (E/HLPF/2016/2, para. 107). Economic and social empowerment, such as the decriminalization of sex work and sex worker mobilization, have improved health and identified critical health gaps (Goals 3 and 5). Community mobilization to attain adequate and stable housing for homeless people living with HIV can have life-saving implications for their health (targets 3.3 and 11.1). Efforts to empower parents in vulnerable situations through participatory parental education initiatives reduce the risk of negative health outcomes for their children (Goal 3 and targets 4.2, 5.2 and 16.2). When young girls have access to education, child mortality rates and girls' long-term health improve (Goals 3, 4 and 5) (A/70/213, para. 9). Investments in such initiatives place the human rights principles of autonomy and participation at the centre of public health policy and are critical components of an open, inclusive and peaceful 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
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are at risk of "punitive" rape on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Adolescents suffer disproportionately from the effects of gun violence and significant numbers of adolescents face serious harm or death as a consequence of armed conflict.
- 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
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- 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. 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 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
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides a comprehensive normative and legally binding framework to address the right to health and the holistic development of the young child. States have legally binding obligations to adopt and implement laws, regulations, policies, budgetary measures, programmes and other initiatives to ensure the respect, protection and fulfilment of the right to health, including healthy development, in early childhood.
- 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
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- The right to health is subject to progressive realization and resource constraints. This means that the right to health does not have to be realized immediately; rather, States must take effective and targeted measures towards the progressive realization of the right to health, including for the young child. This is similar to the concept of "progressive improvement" found in the Declaration of Alma-Ata. Progressive realization and resource availability also acknowledge the differences between high- and low-income countries.
- 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
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 108
- Paragraph text
- Beyond sheer survival, children have a right to thrive, develop in a holistic way to their full potential and enjoy good physical and mental health in a sustainable world. The right of young children to healthy development is crucial to promote and protect the right to health throughout life as well as to foster sustainable human development; however it has not yet received adequate attention.
- 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
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- The human rights approach, together with the modern understanding of public health, warns against typifying violence into severe forms and those forms which are considered to be "milder" and thus perceived as not harmful. That can lead to the proliferation of practices which are justified as being "mild" forms of violence and thus tolerated or even recommended, such as domestic violence against women, female genital mutilation or the institutional care 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)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
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
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
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
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
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
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
Paragraph