Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights (2^nd Ed.)

Important links between health and human rights are increasingly recognised, and human rights can be viewed as one of the social determinants of health. 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 an opportunity to move away from public health action being based on charity. This text 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 toolbox 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 over the world to illustrate the successful use of human rights approaches in fields such as HIV/AIDS, improving access to essential drugs, reproductive health, women?s health, and improving the health of marginalised and disadvantaged groups.

Understanding human rights and their interrelationships with health and health equity is essential for public health and health promotion practitioners, as well as being important for a wide range of other health and social welfare professionals. This text is valuable reading for students, practitioners, and researchers concerned with combating health inequalities and promoting social justice.

List of illustrations. Case studies. List of contributors. Acknowledgements. List of acronyms. 1. Introduction. 2. The global human rights system. 3. Regional human rights systems. 4. National and sub-national human rights systems. 5. Health equity and human rights. 6. The rights of the child. 7. Refugee Protection. 8. Human rights for people with a disability, Joanne Watson, Kate Anderson, Patsie Frawley, and Susan Balandin. 9. Elimination of racial discrimination. 10. Monitoring human rights. 11. Responding to breaches of human rights. 12. Advocacy for human rights. 13. Conclusion. Note on sources. Appendix – the UDHR. Index.

Fiona H. McKay is Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Australia.

Ann Taket was Professor of Health and Social Exclusion in the School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Australia, and Director of the Centre for Health through Action on Social Exclusion (CHASE) until her retirement at the end of 2019.