Volume 24/2, December 2022, pp. 47-58 | PDF Maame Efua Addadzi-Koom Abstract As part of global efforts to reach herd immunity to stem the spread of COVID-19, the government of Ghana in 2021 declared December as the month of vaccination. Along with the declaration were statements about the government’s intention to make vaccination mandatory in January 2022 for select groups of persons and to restrict access of unvaccinated persons to…
Leaving No One Behind: Human Rights and Gender as Critical Frameworks for U=U
Volume 24/2, December 2022, pp. 1-11 | PDF Laura Ferguson, William Jardell, and Sofia Gruskin Abstract Experience has shown the need to explicitly address human rights and gender-related barriers in the rollout of HIV-related biomedical innovations, including “undetectable equals untransmittable” (U=U). This paper brings to light rights and gender considerations relevant to supporting U=U, recognizing a range of barriers that remain to be addressed for all people to benefit equally…
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Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform
Volume 24/2, December 2022, pp. 59-70 | PDF Caroline M. Parker, Oscar E. Miranda-Miller, and Carmen Albizu-García Abstract Laws facilitating the involuntary civil commitment (ICC) of people with substance use disorders vary considerably internationally and across the United States. Puerto Rico, a colonial territory of the United States since 1898, currently harbors the most punitive ICC legislation in the country. It is the only place in the United States where…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Cannabis, Coerced Care, and a Rights-Based Approach to Community Support
Volume 24/2, December 2022, pp. 115-119 | PDF Johannes Wheeldon and Jon Heidt Introduction Recently, a special section in this journal reviewed the widespread misuse of compulsory drug detention and rehabilitation centers.[1] Although the issue was a welcome addition to the literature, most contributors focused on formal responses to injected drugs. A detailed discussion of the rise of coerced treatment as part of cannabis decriminalization was notable by its absence.[2]…
Reparations for Harms Experienced in Residential Aged Care
Volume 24/2, December 2022, pp. 71-83 | PDF Linda Steele and Kate Swaffer Abstract This paper explores the possibility of reparations for harms suffered by people in residential aged care, focusing on experiences of people with dementia. We first explain how systemic and structural harms occur within residential aged care and outline how they constitute human rights violations. Using Australia as a case study, we then consider the limitations of…
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Addressing Stigma is Not Enough
Volume 24/2, December 2022, pp. 111-114 | PDF Joseph J. Amon, Nina Sun, Alexandrina Iovita, Ralf Jurgens, and Joanne Csete Over the past two decades, considerable work has been done to theorize, understand, and quantify the impact of stigma and discrimination on health. Yet despite clear differences, researchers, practitioners, and donors have often designed programs, set goals, and defined indicators that fail to differentiate between the two, or that define…