Early assessment of mental health and options for documentation of torture in newly arrived asylum seekers

2021 ◽  
pp. 387-394
Author(s):  
Nora Sveaass ◽  
Birgit Lie
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Early Assessment ◽  
Health Related

This chapter describes experiences regarding early health assessment of persons seeking protection in a new society, and discusses these in relation to existing research. as well as to policies and recommendations from states, academia, and civil-society organizations. Early identification and documentation of torture and other human rights violations with regard to follow-up, protection needs, right to reparation, and access to justice are touched upon. There is a growing acknowledgement of the importance of early assessment of health and early identification of health-related problems in persons exposed to ongoing and serious stress. We will argue that this should also be understood in terms of international obligations to provide health care and other forms of redress to persons subjected to torture and ill treatment. States receiving refugees and asylum seekers must consider good health assessments and services to persons seeking protection, as part of their human rights obligations, as well as good and sound public health approach.

scholarly journals A perspective on utilizing legal frameworks to obligate service providers to protect human rights in Malawi: A Case of the Mandatory Provision on Pro Bono Services under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act, 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-495
Author(s):  
Grace MTAWALI
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Human Rights Violations ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Pro Bono ◽  
Culture Of Silence ◽  
Legal Frameworks

Malawi's Constitution of 1994 changed the law in a pro-human rights direction. It provides for safe guarding measures aimed at protecting human rights. Malawi also has progressive pro-human rights legislations which emulate provisions of international and regional human rights instruments. However, enforcement of legal frameworks remains a challenge, partly due to poverty hence a large percentage of the population is unable to meet legal costs; lack of legal literacy and distance hinders access justice. A culture of silence continues to perpetuate human rights violations, so too uncoordinated efforts by service providers in protecting human rights. The majority of legal practitioners practice commercial law hence over burdening the Legal Aid Bureau with under privileged clients, whose cases mostly border on human rights violations. This paper will look at the opportunities government has in utilizing the legal frameworks to obligate duty bearers to provide services that aim to promote human rights including access to justice for under privileged Malawians. Legal practitioners are now, under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act of 2018, obligated to provide pro bono legal services in order to have their licenses renewed. This has seen a rise in the number of under privileged people, particularly women, able to access justice at various levels. This can also be attributed to human rights awareness done by the Human Rights Commission, human rights lawyers and civil society organizations. This paper will therefore examine the positive impact such an initiative has had in protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law in Malawi.

Health Communication: Implications for Diverse Populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Amy Hasselkus
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Health Care Decisions ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Health Related

The need for improved communication about health-related topics is evident in statistics about the health literacy of adults living in the United States. The negative impact of poor health communication is huge, resulting in poor health outcomes, health disparities, and high health care costs. The importance of good health communication is relevant to all patient populations, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Efforts are underway at all levels, from individual professionals to the federal government, to improve the information patients receive so that they can make appropriate health care decisions. This article describes these efforts and discusses how speech-language pathologists and audiologists may be impacted.

Contemporary Developments Relating to the Inviolability of Mission Premises

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan E Falconi Puig
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
National Security ◽  
Direct Consequence ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Domestic Legislation

This chapter addresses some of the controversial issues relating to the inviolability of mission premises. The Yvonne Fletcher incident of 1984 led to debates about the need to upgrade or reform the VCDR in that regard; and the United Kingdom, as a direct consequence of the incident, adopted the ‘Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987’ to be able to adopt unilateral measures to remove premises immunity where threats to national security, to public integrity and/or the need of urban planning exist. Domestic legislation of this kind, however, also provides ground for conflicts with the VCDR. This chapter explores conflicts between property immunity and issues such as access to justice, human rights, and terrorism and examines ways of overcoming such difficulties through mechanisms which safeguard diplomatic privileges and immunity to allow the pursuit of diplomatic functions.

Persons living with HIV treated in acute HIV infection report good health-related quality of life in Thailand

AIDS Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Orlanda Q. Goh ◽  
Eugène Kroon ◽  
Carlo Sacdalan ◽  
Phillip Chan ◽  
Trevor A. Crowell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Acute Hiv Infection ◽  
Persons Living With Hiv ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Acute Hiv ◽  
Living With Hiv

Impact of Covid-19 on the mental health needs of asylum seekers in Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110054
Author(s):  
Sarah Mares ◽  
Kym Jenkins ◽  
Susan Lutton ◽  
Louise Newman AM
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Human Rights Violations ◽  
Mental Health Needs

Objective: This paper highlights the significant mental health vulnerabilities of people who have sought asylum in Australia and their additional adversities as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Australia’s policies in relation to asylum seekers result in multiple human rights violations and add significantly to mental health vulnerabilities. Despite a majority being identified as refugees, people spend years in personal and administrative limbo and are denied resettlement in Australia. Social isolation and other restrictions associated with Covid-19 and recent reductions in welfare and housing support compound their difficulties. The clinical challenges in working with people impacted by these circumstances and the role of psychiatrists and the RANZCP in advocacy are identified.

A National Treasure? The Role of Civil Society in Promoting and Enforcing Human Rights in the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Samuels
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Social And Economic Rights

Abstract The article investigates the negative attitude towards civil society over the last decade in the United Kingdom and the repercussions for human rights. It considers this in the context of the United Kingdom government’s implementation of the policy of austerity. It reflects on the various policy and legal changes, and the impact on the campaigning and advocacy work of civil society organizations, particularly those that work on social and economic rights.

scholarly journals How to Protect Free Flowing Rivers: The Bita River Ramsar Site as an Example of Science and Management Tools Working Together

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1775
Author(s):  
Cesar Freddy Suárez ◽  
Monica Paez-Vasquez ◽  
Fernando Trujillo ◽  
Jose Saulo Usma ◽  
Michele Thieme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Ramsar Site ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Local Stakeholder

The Orinoco river basin is the third largest river in the world by volume. Its catchment encompasses 27 major sub-basins including the Bita with a catchment area of about 825,000 ha, which originates in the Colombian high plains in the Llanos ecoregion. It has been recognized as a priority area for conservation through different gap analyses and overall determined to have good health according to the Orinoco report card 2016. The natural climate and hydrologic processes, and their synergies with flooded forests, savannas, wetlands, species diversity and local economic activities, are part of a dynamic and sensitive system. With the purpose of conserving the ecological, social and cultural benefits that it brings, the Colombian Government, with the support of regional and local civil society organizations, promoted the designation of a conservation area. Technical exercises were carried out including biological and socioeconomic surveys, local stakeholder consultations and future scenario modeling. In June 2018, the Bita River basin was designated as the largest Ramsar site in Colombia, providing a worldwide example of explicit protection of riverine systems. In order to maintain this free-flowing river, land use and fisheries management, in conjunction with other conservation actions, are being implemented and provide a model of protection for freshwater ecosystems that could be replicated elsewhere.

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