Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights

By Ann Taket, with chapters contributed by Michaela Adamowitsch, Melika Chiswell, Brad Crammond, Arjun Singh and Carmel Treacy

Published 23rd April 2012 by Routledge

Important links between health and human rights are increasingly being recognised and human rights can be viewed as one of the social determinants of health. Furthermore, a human rights framework provides an excellent foundation for advocacy on health inequalities, a value-based alternative to views of health as a commodity, and the opportunity to move away from public health action being based on charity. This book demystifies systems set up for the protection and promotion of human rights globally, regionally and nationally. It explores the use and usefulness of rights-based approaches as an important part of the tool-box available to health and welfare professionals and community members working in a variety of settings to improve health and reduce health inequities. Global in its scope, Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights presents examples from all regions of the world to illustrate the successful use of human rights approaches in fields such as HIV/AIDS, improving accessibility to essential drugs, reproductive health, women’s health, and improving the health of marginalised and disadvantaged groups.

In what ways do you think human rights are involved in your daily life (as practitioner or researcher or citizen)?  

What connections do you see between human rights and  health promotion?

This book will be presented at the IUHPE World Conference 2013 under the session Meet the Authors.