What is the link between health and human rights?
There are complexlinkages between health and human rights:
• Violations or lack of attention to human rights can have serious health consequences;
• Health policies and programmes can promote or violate human rights in the ways they are designed or implemented;
• Vulnerability and the impact of ill health can be reduced by taking steps to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.
The normative content of each right is fully articulated in human rights instruments. Examples of the language used in human rights
instruments to articulate the normative content of some of the other key human rights relevant to health follows:
• Torture: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be
subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.”
• Violence against children: ”All appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse…” shall be taken.
• Harmful traditional practices: “Effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the
health of children” shall be taken.
Participation: The right to “…active, free and meaningful participation.”
