Neurocognitive Disorders: Medical Illness or Mental Disorder: Examining the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic) Using Neurocognitive Disorders.

Victoria has new legislation, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic) (MHWA) to govern the care and treatment of people with mental illness that came into effect on 1 September 2023. It takes a human rights approach with a focus on person-centred care. The definition of mental illness encompasses conditions such as dementia even though it is rarely used to manage such conditions. How would the management of dementia and associated conditions change if these conditions were managed under the MHWA? This article uses dementia to examine the differences between the new MHWA, the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (Vic) and the Guardianship and Administration Act 2019 (Vic) and how the human rights approach taken by the MHWA might inform future directions in managing dementia.

Safe Access Zone Legislation and Its Compliance with the Human Rights of Anti-Abortion Protesters in Australia.

Terminating a pregnancy is now lawful in all Australian jurisdictions, although on diverse bases. While abortions have not been subject to the same degree of heated debate in Australia as elsewhere, protests aimed at persuading women not to have a termination of their pregnancy have occurred outside abortion service providers in the past. Over the last decade, this has led to the introduction of laws setting out so-called safe access zones around provider premises. Anti-abortion protests are prohibited within a specific distance from abortion services and infringements attract criminal liability. As safe access zone laws prevent protesters from expressing their views in certain spaces, the question arises as to the laws' compliance with protesters' human rights. This article analyses this by considering the human rights compliance of the Queensland ban in light of Queensland human rights legislation. It concludes that the imposed prohibition of anti-abortion protests near abortion clinics is compatible with human rights.

Prison overcrowding and ill-treatment: sentence reduction as a reparation measure. A view from Latin America and Europe.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years mass protest movements have taken to the streets in many countries across the world. Despite strong international and domestic legal protections for the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and other fundamental human rights, entire assemblies are frequently labelled violent and less lethal weapons are used to disperse them. METHODS: This article examines the weapons often used by police against public assemblies. Focusing on striking weapons (batons), chemical irri-tants, kinetic impact projectiles and stun grenades, the article uses examples from various countries to illustrate how these weapons are being used and the associated human rights and health impacts. Re-sults: Worrying trends identified include the use of dangerous or untested equipment, such as thermal foggers to deploy chemical irritants; the use of inherently abusive weapons, such as whips or sjam-boks; and the increasing use of certain types of munitions, specifically indiscriminate kinetic impact projectiles. DISCUSSION: The article seeks to support medical and legal professionals becoming more familiar with the weapons being used in the countries they practice in, the effects of those weapons, and clinical aspects in the presentation and care of those exposed.

Less-lethal weapons: ocular trauma in Chile as psychosocial trauma. Challenges from a human rights and comprehensive perspective.

INTRODUCTION: In October 2019 in Chile, massive protests broke out in the so-called social uprising. The repressive response of the armed forces and Carabineros (Police) resulted in serious and mas-sive violations of human rights, with between 400 and 500 victims of ocular trauma caused mainly by shots from anti-riot shotguns, constituting the largest number of cases in the world linked to a single event. It is proposed to evaluate the different dimensions of the impact of ocular trauma due to state violence, using the concept of psychosocial trauma and a support model that integrates the medical-psychological and social dimensions. METHODS: Human rights violations of the period are described, focusing on cases of ocular trauma, and state and civil society responses. The requests of a survivors' organisations regarding truth, justice and reparation is presented. A clinical case of ocular trauma treated in our centre is analyzed. RESULTS: Survivors of ocular trauma manifest post-traumatic reactions regardless of the severity of their ocular injuries. The impact on the mental health of survi-vors of ocular trauma due to state violence is a phenomenon where the psychic and psychosocial im-pact of trauma due to socio-political violence intersects with the short- and long-term mental health effects. DISCUSSION: The impact of sociopolitical trauma must be understood considering both the in-dividual and social subject, considering their cultural, socioeconomic and political reality. Recovery from traumatic psychological injury must be addressed in its medical, sensory rehabilitation, psycho-logical and psychosocial dimensions, including processes of social recognition, search for justice and comprehensive reparation of damage. In contexts of impunity, a model is proposed that integrates rehabilitation with psycho-legal support, promotion of agency and organisation, within the frame-work of commitment to the movement and principles of human rights.

Trade in torture tools threatens detainees and protestors everywhere - it must be banned.

With social upheaval, economic strain, and political unrest growing, peaceful demonstrations worldwide are increasingly met with brutal tactics by law enforcement and security forces. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture outlines her call for States to negotiate a new international treaty to ban the manufacture, use and trade in "torture tools" and regulate the trade in law enforcement equipment. Her proposal outlines two critical components: a prohibited list of items that she has deemed to be inherently cruel, inhuman or degrading, and a second controlled list of ordinary law enforcement equipment that has a high risk of misuse. Effective international regulation is imper-ative to curb the indiscriminate use of force by law enforcement and to uphold human dignity. Improved national regulation is also required. Research has revealed a pervasive market for these items, with more than 335 companies in 54 countries manufacturing or promoting the most egre-gious torture instruments. Major producers include China, the EU, and the USA, with emerging economies also contributing significantly. The outsourcing of public functions to private security companies further exacerbates the issue, underscoring the pressing need for robust national and international regulations.

Ill-treatment in the Chilean prison system - an analysis of reports presented by the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) and their handling by the legal actors.

INTRODUCTION: Prisons in Latin America are often described as violent and lawless places. This article analyses the Chilean case. We want to find out how complaints of ill-treatment are investigated if the victim is in prison. Our hypothesis is that the response to the phenomenon, both in the prose-cution of the perpetrators and in the protection of its victims, does not take into consideration the guidelines established in international standards, especially those contained in the Istanbul Proto-col. METHODS: We analysed a total of 124 complaints of ill-treatment filed by the Chilean National Human Rights Institute (INDH). RESULTS: An excessive amount of time elapses between the alleged ill treatment, the filing of complaints, the use of protective measures, and the termination of the cases. There are serious deficiencies in the investigations carried out by the Public Prosecutor's Office, and therefore, most of the complaints are not clarified and end up being shelved. We conclude that, through both the actions of the judges and the prosecutors in the processing of the complaints, when it comes to investigating acts of ill-treatment inside Chilean prisons, the standards of the Istanbul Protocol are not met.

Peace between Israel and Palestine?

Talking to a relative of mine who lives in Israel, we exchanged by email about the Hamas terrorist attack and the brutal re-sponse of the Israeli Armed Forces that affected the entire Pal-estinian population of Gaza. He spoke to me about the moral right of the Jewish people to exist and I replied that the Pales-tinian people also had the moral right to exist. That ended the respectful dialogue we had. The Palestinian people's right to ex-ist remained unanswered.

Presence of Inmates with Mental Health Problems in Detention and Correctional Centers in the Republic of Kosovo.

BACKGROUND: Conventions adopted by the United Nations and Council of Europe pay special importance to the treatment of prisoners with mental health problems. Their treatment is close-ly related to respect for human dignity, and the prohibition of torture, cruel and degrading treatment or punishment. The Eu-ropean Court of Human Rights, in many cases, has ruled that the detention of a mentally-ill person can raise issues under Ar-ticle 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that the lack of adequate medical care can result in treatment in con-travention of this article. The Republic of Kosovo is not a mem-ber of the United Nations and Council of Europe. However, it has incorporated in its Constitution a number of Conven-tions adopted by the United Nations and Council of Europe. Also, Kosovo has adopted a legal framework which prohibits torture, cruel and degrading treatment or punishment in ac-cordance with the international human rights standards. The Constitution also provides that human rights and fundamen-tal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution shall be interpret-ed in accordance with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. METHODS: Review of Ombudsperson's, Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Prison Health Department of Kosovo Ministry of Health reports, as well as reports of the NGOs in Kosovo.

Being yourself is a defect: analysis of documented rights violations related to sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV in 2022 using the REAct system in six eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries.

INTRODUCTION: Removing legal barriers to HIV services is crucial for the global 2030 goal of ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic, particularly in eastern Europe, the Caucasus and central Asia. Despite state commitments to uphold human rights, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), along with transgender people (TP) still face stigma and discrimination. This article presents an analysis of rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and HIV reported in 2022 across six countries, highlighting features and their links to legislation and law enforcement practices. METHODS: We examined documented cases of rights violations among gbMSM and TP in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine in 2022 using the REAct system, a tool for documenting and responding to rights violations against key populations. Initially, we employed directed content analysis based on Yogyakarta Principles to analyse narratives of violations. A codebook was developed through contextual, manifest and latent coding, with themes, categories and codes converted into quantitative variables for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the characteristics of violations. RESULTS: A total of 456 cases of rights violations related to SOGI and HIV were documented, ranging from 22 cases in Tajikistan to 217 in Ukraine. Most violations concerned gbMSM (76.5%), with one-fifth involving TP, predominantly transgender women. Complex violations with multiple perpetrators or infringements were documented in Armenia and central Asia. Privacy rights were commonly violated, often through outing. Cases of violations of the right to the highest attainable standard of health (13.6%) and protection from medical abuses (2.6%) were also documented. Other rights violations were sporadic, with each country exhibiting distinct patterns of violated rights and types of violations. In Ukraine, the full-scale war in 2022 influenced the nature of documented cases, reflecting the challenges faced by gbMSM and TP. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring rights violations proved effective for assessing the situation of gbMSM and TP, particularly in the insufficiently studied and diverse eastern Europe, Caucasus and central Asia regions. As rights violations are linked to both legislation and law enforcement practices, comprehensive interventions to minimize structural and interpersonal stigma are essential.

An implementation evaluation of the Breaking Down human rights barriers to HIV services initiative in Ukraine.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, stark inequities exist in access to HIV treatment and prevention. The eastern European and central Asian region is experiencing the sharpest rise in new HIV acquisition and deaths in the world, with low rates of treatment and prevention services, especially for key and vulnerable populations who face a range of human rights-related barriers to HIV prevention and treatment. METHODS: An implementation learning evaluation approach was used to examine the implementation of the Breaking Down Barriers initiative targeting key and vulnerable populations in Ukraine. Between September 2022 and April 2023, researchers conducted 23 key informant interviews with individuals from the Ukrainian government, implementing organizations and human rights experts. Using a concurrent triangulation design, researchers and key informants, in a process of co-creation, sought to describe programme accomplishments, challenges and innovations in implementation, between 2021 and 2023, including periods before and after Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion. RESULTS: Eight rights-based interventions related to HIV were identified in Global Fund programme documents and key informant interviews as making up the core of the Breaking Down Barriers initiative in Ukraine. These included programmes seeking to: eliminate stigma and discrimination; ensure the non-discriminatory provision of medical care; promote rights-based law enforcement practices; expand legal literacy ("know your rights"); increase access to justice; improve laws, regulations and policies; reduce gender discrimination, harmful gender norms and violence against women and girls; and mobilize communities for advocacy. These programmes received US$5.9 million in funding. Key informants reported that significant progress had been made addressing human rights barriers and scaling up interventions, both before and after Russia's invasion. Programme implementors adopted innovative approaches, including using paralegals, hotlines and other community-led interventions, to ensure that key and vulnerable populations, including displaced individuals, were able to access prevention and care. CONCLUSIONS: An implementation learning evaluation approach examining programmes addressing human rights barriers to HIV services, designed as a process of co-creation between researchers, programme implementors, government officials and human rights experts, can provide a robust assessment of programme outputs, outcomes and evidence of impact, despite a challenging operational environment.

The "First daughter" effect: Human rights advocacy and attitudes toward gender equality in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

International concern for the human rights of Afghan women has spiked since the Taliban consolidated power in Afghanistan in fall 2021. Yet little is known about how to effectively advocate for women's human rights under this new context. We present findings from a random sample of all adult Afghan internet users' attitudes toward peace, security, gender, and human rights and find significant support for women's human rights as a national priority within Afghanistan, even when controlling for other priorities and even among many men and women aligned with the Taliban. Given that men now have much more political power in Afghan society to protect women's rights, we paid particular attention to men's attitudes toward women's human rights. Our evidence from an embedded survey experiment, building on earlier literature from other countries, demonstrates that fathers of eldest daughters are particularly likely to favor prioritizing women's rights when primed to think about the gender of their eldest children. Thus, the human rights and humanitarian community should spend more time and attention engaging with this demographic, and specifically creating marketing and advocacy strategies that encourage men to think about or act on behalf of their eldest daughters.

Palliative care as a Fundamental Human Right: where are we at in Italy?

Abstract: The right to live with dignity during the final stages of existence, enshrined in national and supranational Charters of Rights, represents a significant step towards humanizing medicine and is integral to the right to health. Palliative Care, rooted in health, dignity, and therapeutic self-determination, has emerged as a fundamental human right and a moral imperative within health systems. It seeks to alleviate suffering, emphasizing the holistic well-being of patients with life-limiting illnes-ses. This paper provides an analysis of the current situation of Palliative Care in Italy and examines its critical aspects, also in relation to the issues found in other European and non-European countries. In Italy, although laws have been enacted to ensure the provision of Palliative Care, its availability remains inconsistent across different regions. Financial constraints and insufficient support hinder the comprehensive dissemination of these services. Recognizing the significance of Palliative Care, the Catholic Church also endorses its implementation as a response to human suffering and an approach to end-of-life care. Efforts to strengthen Palliative Care are critical to meeting the rising demand and ensuring access to compassionate and dignified care for all individuals in need. Through legislative advancements and adequate resources, Italy can make significant strides in advancing the provision of Palliative Care.

Enhancing Human Health and Wellbeing through Sustainably and Equitably Unlocking a Healthy Ocean's Potential.

A healthy ocean is essential for human health, and yet the links between the ocean and human health are often overlooked. By providing new medicines, technologies, energy, foods, recreation, and inspiration, the ocean has the potential to enhance human health and wellbeing. However, climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and inequity threaten both ocean and human health. Sustainable realisation of the ocean's health benefits will require overcoming these challenges through equitable partnerships, enforcement of laws and treaties, robust monitoring, and use of metrics that assess both the ocean's natural capital and human wellbeing. Achieving this will require an explicit focus on human rights, equity, sustainability, and social justice. In addition to highlighting the potential unique role of the healthcare sector, we offer science-based recommendations to protect both ocean health and human health, and we highlight the unique potential of the healthcare sector tolead this effort.

Carta dos Direitos de Segurança do Paciente

A Carta dos Direitos da Segurança do Paciente é um recurso fundamental destinado a apoiar a implementação do Plano de Ação Global para a Segurança do Paciente 2021–2030: Rumo à eliminação de danos evitáveis ​​nos cuidados de saúde. A Carta visa delinear os direitos dos pacientes no contexto da segurança e promove a defesa desses direitos, conforme estabelecido pelas normas internacionais de direitos humanos, para todos, em todos os lugares, em todos os momentos.

Carta de derechos para la seguridad del paciente

La Declaración de Derechos sobre Seguridad del Paciente es un recurso clave destinado a apoyar la implementación del Plan de acción global para la seguridad del paciente 2021-2030: hacia la eliminación de daños evitables en la atención de salud. La Carta tiene como objetivo perfilar los derechos de los pacientes en el contexto de la seguridad y promueve la defensa de estos derechos, tal como lo establecen las normas internacionales de derechos humanos, para todos, en todas partes y en todo momento.

Discurso de Giovana Cruz Mandulão na oficina do Projeto BVS Saúde Indígena 2024

Durante a Oficina do Projeto BVS Saúde Indígena (TA4/TC93), realizada pela BIREME/OPAS/OMS com SESAI/MS no Dia Nacional dos Povos Indígenas, Giovana Cruz Mandulão, Coordenadora-Geral de Gestão do Conhecimento, da Informação, da Avaliação e do Monitoramento da Secretaria de Saúde Indígena, realiza intervenção em homenagem e defesa dos povos indígenas do Brasil.

Exploring perceived challenges, adoption, and assessment of Western values of democracy and human rights in Palestine in the 2023 War on Gaza.

This study delved into the dynamics of perceived challenges, adoption, and assessment of Western values of democracy and human rights among university students in Palestine, particularly in the aftermath of the 2023 War on Gaza. A mixed-methods strategy was used in the research, with a participant pool of 384 students representing a range of demographics. By exploring the impact of geopolitical events, the results revealed a positive link between perceived challenges and the assessment of Western values. Although there is a notable gender and geographic difference in the assessment and adoption of Western values, females and those living in cities and villages are shown to have greater perceived challenges with these values. The qualitative component, including interviews with 12 students, provided valuable insights into the postwar evolution of Palestinian perspectives, highlighting a notable shift in attitudes, initially characterized by belief in the superiority of Western values, followed by a decline in faith during the war. This decline is attributed to traumatic events, biased media narratives, and the contradiction between idealized standards and harsh realities. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted influences on Palestinian perceptions of Western values.

Human rights among Korean dental hygiene students in hospital clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: The human rights of dental hygiene students should be guaranteed during practice at medical institutions for their mental and physical health as well as professionalism, for patient safety. Safe and well guaranteed clinicians can perform their work in a more stable way. This study investigated the human rights circumstances of dental hygiene students during their hospital clinical practice at dental institutions. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Convenience sampling was conducted on 121 third- and fourth-year dental hygiene students from universities in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon. The survey used the Human Rights Indicators for Dental Hygiene Students to investigate the rights to safety, equality, and personality to understand participants' experiences of guaranteed fundamental rights. Data were collected from October 31 to November 8, 2019. A chi-square test was used to assess differences in experience according to general characteristics. RESULTS: During dental hygiene practice at dental institutions, less than 50% of students felt safe. When human rights violations occurred in dental institutions, only 42.4% of students received guidance on response measures from their universities. While 72.1% of students who practiced at dental university hospitals were given information on first aid supplies (facilities) within dental institutions, only approximately 45% of students who practiced at lower-scale dental institutions were given this information (p < 0.05). Regarding equality rights, only 52.5% of trainees reported that they had received equal treatment from healthcare workers during hospital clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: During dental practice at dental institutions, Korean dental hygiene students confirmed that human rights (including safety rights, equality rights, and personality rights) were guaranteed to varying degrees. Dental hygiene students' rights during hospital clinical practice in dental institutions should be guaranteed across institutions regardless of their scale. This is necessary for dental hygiene students' human rights and safe policies and guidelines in dental institution clinical practice and regular monitoring systems.