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Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Low birth weight, lack of breastfeeding, undernutrition, overcrowded living conditions, indoor air pollution, unsafe drinking water and food and poor hygiene practices are the main immediate risk factors for pneumonia and diarrhoea. However, while such diseases are proximate causes of death and are duly reflected in statistics, poverty and inequalities are the root causes, or underlying social determinants. Poverty increases young children's exposure to risks such as poor nutrition, violence, inadequate sanitation, lower levels of maternal education, inadequate stimulation in the home, increased maternal stress and depression and, at the same time, limits access to health and other services. In 2013 the under-5 mortality rate in low-income countries was more than 12 times the average rate in high-income countries. There are also significant disparities in under-5 mortality and morbidity within countries, driven by poverty, gender and other inequalities. Low levels of literacy and poor access to education among women correlate strongly with high rates of under-5 mortality.
- 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
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- However, community-based health insurance programmes may be unable to achieve effective cross-subsidization owing to the size and constitution of community pools. In most cases, community-based pools are very small in size and comprise poor individuals at high risk for illness; financial and health risks therefore may not be effectively subsidized across pool members. Contributions to community-based health insurance have also been shown to be regressive in some instances, as contributions are made as flat amounts and income-rated contributions and exemptions for the poor have been difficult to implement owing to challenges in determining household incomes. Moreover, the costs associated with collecting contributions from populations in rural areas and informal urban areas are high relative to the revenue generated from contributions. Thus, while in some cases community-based insurance programmes may be used to increase access to health facilities, goods and services for vulnerable or marginalized groups and facilitate the participation of communities in health-related decision-making processes, they are not a substitute for larger, more centralized pooling mechanisms.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Differences between the genders in respect of the ageing process must also be acknowledged, given that global life expectancy at birth for women is currently 70 years, and is significantly higher than for men at 66 years. Given differing life expectancies, it is more often men who are able to rely on informal care from their spouses than women. Women who outlive their husbands are more often left with no spousal support, relying on informal care by other relatives or the formal care system. Compounding this problem is the fact that older women are frequently excluded from social security and health insurance schemes that are linked to formal, paid employment. They are also at much greater risk of poverty than men. In many countries older women are less likely than men to hold valuable assets in their own name (A/HRC/14/31, paras. 19-21). These factors limit women's ability to provide for their own health-related needs in later life. Furthermore, lack of access to health care services for debilitating diseases such as cancer and hypertension, or illnesses disproportionately affecting women such as osteoporosis, have also been noted to prevent older women from enjoying their full human rights (CEDAW/C/GC/27).
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Corruption and the right to health 2017, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- There is ample research indicating that corruption and a lack of transparency exacerbate socioeconomic deprivation. Lower social groups carry a heavier burden in a society rife with corrupt elements. In turn, the equal enjoyment of the right to health is deeply affected by poverty and income inequality.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- Addressing violence proactively as a public health issue can end the vicious cycle of violence, poverty and helplessness. For this, it is vital that investment in healthy human relationships, emotional and social well-being and social capital be prioritized.
- 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
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Such costs often have a significant and disproportionate impact on the poor, who pay a considerably larger portion of their total income on health. In turn, they drive many households into poverty or deepen the poverty of those already poor. Such fees could bar those without the means to pay from receiving needed care, as well as discourage people from seeking care in the first place.
- 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
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the Special Rapporteur will continue highlighting the need to reduce poverty and inequalities, including those within and between regions and countries. He will do so by analysing the root causes of the gap between opportunities and reality, between evidence, policies and practices and between obligations of duty bearers and effective implementation.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- This departure from universal human rights principles and this selective approach, ignoring or not adequately addressing one or more rights of a group of the population, reinforces cycles of poverty, inequalities, social exclusion, discrimination and violence, and in the longer run has a negative impact on the health and development of society 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)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 112k
- Paragraph text
- [In this connection, the Special Rapporteur urges Governments:] To eliminate institutional care for children during the first five years of life and promote investments in community-based services for families at risk, including for families living in poverty and those with young children with developmental and other disabilities;
- 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
- Poverty
- 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. 1
- Paragraph text
- Some 6.3 million children under the 5 years of age died in 2013, mostly from preventable causes and treatable diseases. The rates of child mortality and morbidity have declined significantly in recent years as a result of global and national commitments to child survival. However, mortality rates remain unacceptably high, particularly among young children living in poverty and from marginalized groups in 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 103l
- Paragraph text
- [As a matter of priority, the Special Rapporteur recommends that:] Member States consider expanding the focus of investment in physical health and reduction of mortality, traditionally based on the classical determinants of health such as poverty, education, housing and water and sanitation, to address other determinants, including the quality of physical and psychosocial environments;
- 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
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Corruption and the right to health 2017, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- In many countries health is among the most corrupt sectors. Health sector corruption, including for example the bribing of health officials and unofficial payments to health-care providers, obstructs the ability of States to fulfil their right to health obligation and to guarantee available, accessible, acceptable and good quality health services, goods and facilities. Yet corruption affecting health also occurs in other sectors and industries, for example, the water sector, and the food and beverages, tobacco and other industries. Moreover, corruption has significant implications for equality and non-discrimination since it has a particularly marked impact on the health of populations in situations of vulnerability and social exclusion, in particular those living in poverty and 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Children
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to mental health 2017, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The effective realization of the right to health requires the participation of everyone, particularly those living in poverty and in vulnerable situations, in decision-making at the legal, policy, community and health service level. At the population level, empowering everyone to participate meaningfully in decisions about their health and well-being requires multisectoral and inclusive engagement with stakeholders, such as users and former users of mental health services, policymakers, service providers, health workers, social workers, the legal profession, the police, carers, family members and the wider community.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. (a)
- Paragraph text
- For those living in poverty or without sufficient means, States should ensure health coverage or access to care to prevent discrimination (targets 1.3 and 3.8);
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- The risk of experiencing mental ill-health is heightened by poverty and by adverse childhood events, including, for example, sexual and emotional abuse, bullying and parental loss. Adolescents in post-conflict or disaster settings or who are homeless and street-involved, orphaned, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex or involved with the juvenile justice system are also at greater risk. Adolescents in the juvenile justice system suffer substantially higher rates of mental health conditions than those in the general population, with an estimated 70 per cent having at least one diagnosable mental health condition.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- For example, in addressing climate change and environmental pollution (Goal 13 and target 3.9), States and other actors must recognize the particular health impact that these environmental issues have on certain populations, due in part to socioeconomic inequality, cultural norms and intrinsic psychological factors. Climate change increases the incidence of diseases that already disproportionately affect the poor, such as malaria and diarrhoea. Likewise, environmental pollution contributes to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, disproportionately experienced by the poor. This increases health expenditures and ill mental and physical health among those who can least afford it, reinforcing the vicious cycle of poverty (A/HRC/32/23, para. 24).
- 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
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Many examples have been presented by the health and human rights movement of economic, social and cultural rights being neglected since they were perceived as not requiring immediate action based on erroneous interpretations of the fact that they were subject to progressive realization. That tendency to undermine importance of economic, social and cultural rights has led, and continues to lead, to a detrimental combination of poverty, inequalities and disempowerment of large groups of population, who will consequently suffer from poor health status and barriers to accessing health-care 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Occupational health 2012, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The informal economy stands in contrast to the formal economy in a number of critical ways, the most important being the relative absence of State regulation. The lack of regulation results in numerous insecurities and vulnerabilities for informal workers, such as the lack of collective bargaining and anti-discrimination protections. Further, informal workers are also often subjected to volatile, insecure work schedules and long hours. Many informal workers are involved in piece work, which encourages unsafe work habits and shifts the burden of responsibility to protect occupational health from employers to workers. Although there are some very high earners within the informal economy (such as self-employed professionals), the vast majority of informal workers come from marginalized backgrounds and work without adequate training, technology and health precautions for a small, insecure wage. Although not all persons involved in the informal economy are poor, and not all of the working poor are informal workers, there is a substantial overlap between poverty and the informal economy.
- 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)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The situation of indigenous populations around the world demonstrates this problem. In many States, indigenous communities are vulnerable as a group owing to persistent poverty, historical marginalization and political disempowerment. These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that indigenous populations traditionally live in rural and remote areas that often lack public infrastructure, including health facilities. Indigenous populations in all parts of the world experience worse health outcomes than non-indigenous populations as a result. For example, indigenous populations in three different countries faced infant mortality rates 3 times higher, suicide rates 11 times higher and the prevalence of poor sanitation 7 times higher than non-indigenous populations. The right to health approach requires States to allocate health funds and resources between rural, remote and urban areas equitably in order to respect and fulfil the right to health of vulnerable and marginalized groups living in these areas.
- 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
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- The primary financial barrier to accessing health care in most States is out-of-pocket payments. Out-of-pocket payments are payments for health goods and services made by the user at the point of service delivery. In 2007, in 33 mostly low-income countries, out-of-pocket payments represented more than 50 per cent of total health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments may also lead to catastrophic health expenditures. Every year approximately 100 million people, in mostly low-income countries, are pushed into poverty owing to excessive or catastrophic spending on health care. At a minimum, the right to health requires States to reduce out-of-pocket payments for health and eliminate those payments that disproportionately impact on the poor. The pooling of prepayments for health goods and services reduces out-of-pocket payments for all users and may eliminate these payments for the poor. Pooling thus insulates users against catastrophic health expenditures through the cross-subsidization of financial risks associated with expenditures on 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Under the right to health, consumption taxes must not disproportionately burden the poor. However, VAT may operate regressively, with the poor spending larger portions of their income on VAT than the wealthy. Raising the threshold for profits below which enterprises are not subject to VAT and distinguishing between luxury and necessity goods has been shown to increase the progressivity of VAT. Sin taxes may also be regressive and should be applied proportionately so that less expensive products used by the poor are taxed less than more expensive products used by the wealthy. Attention must also be paid to the financial impact sin taxes have on poor communities, who may purchase taxed products with greater frequency. VAT, sin taxes and other forms of consumption taxes that are primarily regressive are not in accordance with the obligation of States to respect 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)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Access to primary healthcare services is also impeded by both physical and financial obstacles. Healthcare facilities might be situated too far from older persons' place of residence, with transport proving to be too expensive, inadequate, or simply unavailable. Compounding this problem is the limited mobility of older persons. They may be unable to drive, have no access to transportation, or have physical impairments that reduce their movement. Physical difficulties to access health for older persons are further reinforced by their socio-economic vulnerability, especially as access to health care is often subject to receiving a pension or to paying out-of-pocket fees. Living in poverty can also be a root cause of deterioration of older persons' health: with limited access to safe drinking water or adequate nutrition, older persons face a high risk of contracting diseases. Even where health services are accessible to older persons, they are not always adapted to their needs.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- General comment No. 14 notes that the right to health should be understood in broader terms, which include the underlying determinants of health, such as access to water and sanitation, food and nutrition, education and housing. An example of this would be the sub-optimal nutrition of older persons, which is commonly linked to circumstances under which older persons are isolated, immobile and live in poverty. Education is another relevant determinant for the health of older persons. A recent study in the United States of America showed that older persons with limited literacy had a higher risk of death, compared to those with adequate literacy.
- 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
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Report on expert consultation on access to medicines 2011, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health encompasses access to medical services and the underlying determinants of health, such as water, sanitation, non-discrimination and equality. As access to medicines is an integral and fundamental part of the right to health, Governments and the international community as a whole have a responsibility to provide access to medicines for all. Yet massive inequalities remain in access to medicines around the world, as up to 2 billion people (or one third of the world's population) lack access to essential medicines. Most of them live in low- and middle-income countries, where the needs of persons living in poverty, women, children and undocumented migrants, as well as other marginalized and vulnerable groups who are often discriminated against in terms of access to medicines, are ignored or underestimated.
- 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
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
26 shown of 26 entities