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Childhood Obesity and the Right to Health

Katharina Ó Cathaoir Health and Human Rights 18/1 Published June 2016 Abstract Childhood obesity is now a global health epidemic, yet the obligations of states to prevent obesity through fulfillment of the right to health have received limited consideration. This article examines the childhood obesity recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (the committee on the CRC), the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, and the UN High…

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The HIV and AIDS Tribunal of Kenya: An Effective Mechanism for the Enforcement of HIV-related Human Rights?

Patrick Michael Eba Health and Human Rights 18/1 Published June 2016 Abstract Established under Section 25 of the HIV Prevention and Control Act of 2006, the HIV and AIDS Tribunal of Kenya is the only HIV-specific statutory body in the world with the mandate to adjudicate cases relating to violations of HIV-related human rights. Yet, very limited research has been done on this tribunal. Based on findings from a desk research…

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Opening the Door to Zero New HIV Infections in Closed Settings

Anna Torriente, Alexander Tadion, and Lee-Nah Hsu Health and Human Rights 18/1 Published June 2016 Abstract Prisons and other closed settings are high-risk environments for HIV and tuberculosis (TB) transmission. Prisoners often experience overcrowded living conditions and violence—including sexual assault—increasing their vulnerability to HIV and TB. However, high infection rates in prisons affect both prisoners and prison employees. Both groups, in interacting with their families and their communities, represent a potential…

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An Independent Review and Accountability Mechanism for the Sustainable Development Goals: The Possibilities of a Framework Convention on Global Health

Eric A. Friedman Abstract The Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH), a proposed global treaty to be rooted in the right to health and aimed at health equity, could establish a nuanced, layered, and multi-faceted regime of compliance and accountability to the right to health. In so doing, it would significantly strengthen accountability for the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which it would encompass. Legally binding, the FCGH could facilitate…

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Medical Hostages: Detention of Women and Babies in Hospitals

Delan Devakumar and Rob Yates Health and Human Rights 18/1 Published June 2016 A disturbing but common practice in many developing countries is the detainment of women who have recently given birth and who cannot afford their hospital charges. Contrary to policies aimed at encouraging women to deliver in health facilities, this practice is an abuse of their rights and has implications for wider maternal and neonatal health. Detention of women…

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Biosocial Approaches to the 2013-2016 Ebola Pandemic

Eugene T. Richardson, Mohamed Bailor Barrie, J. Daniel Kelly, Yusupha Dibba, Songor Koedoyoma, and Paul E. Farmer Abstract Despite more than 25 documented outbreaks of Ebola since 1976, our understanding of the disease is limited, in particular the social, political, ecological, and economic forces that promote (or limit) its spread. In the following study, we seek to provide new ways of understanding the 2013-2016 Ebola pandemic. We use the term,…

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