The Right to Health Cartoon - Global

Click here to view the PDF file of the printed cartoon. The cartoon's story takes place in a classroom, where a teacher interacts with children from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, emphasising the universality of human rights. They talk about children's and women's rights, discrimination, freedom to make personal life choices, and the right to healthy living conditions and education. They also discuss access to affordable health services, the duty of governments to increase their ability to promote and protect the right to health, and the responsibility of rich countries to help poor countries in making this right a reality.

One particular theme emphasised in the cartoon is that lack of awareness of health-related human rights can contribute to poor treatment of individuals by peers and health professionals in the context of mental health problems and HIV infection. For example, in one exchange a boy says that a community learned from a health worker that a neighbour was infected with HIV. The neighbour then lost his job and he and his family were excluded from village life. "The doctor should have respected his right to privacy, and he should not have been discriminated against because he is living with H.I.V.," instructs the teacher.

The cartoon, which will eventually be available in all UN working languages, allows readers to demonstrate what they have learned by playing a game in which they mark boxes containing statements that are true or false. A resource pack to accompany the cartoon is being prepared for teachers, health professionals, and human rights organisations. In addition to the cartoon, it will contain a teaching guide, a poster, and the recently published "25 Questions and Answers on Health and Human Rights".

Rights, Health, HIV/AIDS, Children, Youth.

According to WHO, while the right to health has recently been articulated in jurisprudential terms, it remains an unclear concept for many public health professionals and practitioners, let alone for the general public.

WHO and UNAIDS have also initiatied development of a cartoon on "The link between HIV/AIDS and Human Rights".