Los derechos humanos más allá del capitalismo

What do human rights mean when those who hold power and wealth throughout the world actually treat many of those beneath them as not fully human? The categorization of peoples as non-human, subhuman, or not fully human has appeared throughout human history. But this categorization has flourished especially since what has been called the “rosy dawn” of capitalism.[1]             Rooted in European capitalism, racism, imperialism, colonialism, neocolonialism, and patriarchy, the elites of capitalism have enslaved millions of people, mainly from Africa, and have exterminated millions more through genocide that wiped out indigenous populations, especially in the Americas and Asia. Slavery and genocide also have occurred within some imperialist countries of Europe, as fascist elites have used racist categorizations within their own realms. Racist ideas have justified these and other unacceptable conditions imposed on human beings considered less than human, while those not really human beings have generated immense wealth for elites intent to accumulate capital.   [1]  Eduardo Galeano, The Open Veins of Latin America (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1997), Part I; Karl Marx, Capital, volume 1, chapter 31, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch31.htm.¿Qué significan los derechos humanos cuando quienes ostentan el poder y la riqueza en todo el mundo en realidad tratan a muchos de los que están por debajo de ellos como no plenamente humanos? La categorización de los pueblos como no humanos, infrahumanos o no plenamente humanos ha aparecido a lo largo de toda la historia de la humanidad. Pero esta categorización ha florecido especialmente desde lo que se ha llamado el "amanecer rosado" del capitalismo.[1]   Enraizadas en el capitalismo europeo, el racismo, el imperialismo, el colonialismo, el neocolonialismo y el patriarcado, las élites del capitalismo han esclavizado a millones de personas, principalmente de África, y han exterminado a millones más mediante genocidios que acabaron con las poblaciones indígenas, especialmente en América y Asia. La esclavitud y el genocidio también se han producido dentro de algunos países imperialistas de Europa, ya que las élites fascistas han utilizado categorizaciones racistas dentro de sus propios reinos. Las ideas racistas han justificado estas y otras condiciones inaceptables impuestas a seres humanos considerados menos que humanos, mientras que los que no son realmente seres humanos han generado una inmensa riqueza para las élites que pretenden acumular capital.   [1] Eduardo Galeano, Las Venas Abiertas de America Latina (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1997), 1a parte; Karl Marx, El Capital, volumen 1, capitulo 31, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch31.ht

Los derechos humanos en la formación de los profesionales de la salud: sensibilizar a los estudiantes sobre lo que significa la privación del derecho a la salud

This paper puts the finger on the barriers that “overstretched positivist biomedical curricula” pose to openings to a more humanistic approach to the education of health and nutrition professionals. Universities clearly favor “preparing career-ready graduates” so that curricula, in our case, staunchly avoid “critical pedagogies that promote a justice-enhancing health professional praxis”; “politicizing their curricula, their pedagogies, and the (social) engagement of their students” is far removed from their aims. Not that students mind; they remain buried in the “tell-me-what-I-need-to-know learning culture” --and this is yet another barrier to overcome since, given their mostly middle-class extraction, they are comfortable with “the status-quo that an individualistic professional practice offers them, (in practice) far removing them from critical (social and civic) thinking”. For all these reasons, “guiding those novice professionals to a career of political engagement is (better late than never) an absolute necessity for social change and social justice in health care”. This paper opens avenues in this realm --more specifically in the area of human rights learning.ste artículo pone el dedo en la llaga de las barreras que "los currículos biomédicos positivistas sobredimensionados" suponen para abrirse a un enfoque más humanista en la educación de los profesionales de la salud y la nutrición. Las universidades están claramente a favor de "preparar graduados listos para su carrera", de modo que los planes de estudio, en nuestro caso, evitan incondicionalmente "las pedagogías críticas que promueven una praxis profesional sanitaria que mejore la justicia"; "politizar sus planes de estudio, sus pedagogías y el compromiso (social) de sus estudiantes" está muy lejos de sus objetivos. No es que a los estudiantes les importe; siguen enterrados en la "cultura de aprendizaje de dime lo que necesitas saber", y esto es otra barrera que hay que superar, ya que, dada su extracción mayoritariamente de clase media, se sienten cómodos con "el statu quo que les ofrece una práctica profesional individualista, (en la práctica) muy alejada del pensamiento crítico (social y cívico)". Por todas estas razones, "guiar a esos profesionales noveles hacia una carrera de compromiso político es (más vale tarde que nunca) una necesidad absoluta para el cambio social y la justicia social en la atención sanitaria". Este documento abre vías en este ámbito, más concretamente en el del aprendizaje de los derechos humanos. Abstract This paper puts the finger on the barriers that “overstretched positivist biomedical curricula” pose to openings to a more humanistic approach to the education of health and nutrition professionals. Universities clearly favor “preparing career-ready graduates” so that curricula, in our case, staunchly avoid “critical pedagogies that promote a justice-enhancing health professional praxis”; “politicizing their curricula, their pedagogies, and the (social) engagement of their students” is far removed from their aims. Not that students mind; they remain buried in the “tell-me-what-I-need-to-know learning culture” --and this is yet another barrier to overcome since, given their mostly middle-class extraction, they are comfortable with “the status-quo that an individualistic professional practice offers them, (in practice) far removing them from critical (social and civic) thinking”. For all these reasons, “guiding those novice professionals to a career of political engagement is (better late than never) an absolute necessity for social change and social justice in health care”. This paper opens avenues in this realm --more specifically in the area of human rights learning. Indexin

¿Qué políticas son necesarias para contrarrestar los determinantes comerciales de la salud?

Main points: This commentary aims to bring up to the attention of the reader the relevance and key role of activists in countering the commercial determinants of health. We suggest some strategies   and key activities for activists. We also highlight the multiple challenges activists will (and have) undoubtedly face(d).   We integrate a few examples pertaining to these points to exemplify what we mean here and why we are being harsh in the language we use and/or the actions we propose. There are multiple experiences hinting the way on how activists encompassing several fields ought to be going ahead.  Puntos principales: Este comentario pretende llamar la atención del lector sobre la relevancia y el papel clave de los activistas en salud a la hora de contrarrestar los determinantes comerciales de la salud. Sugerimos algunas estrategias y actividades clave para dichos y dichas activistas. También destacamos los múltiples retos a los que, sin duda, se enfrentarán (y se han enfrentado) como activistas. Integramos algunos ejemplos relativos a estos puntos para ejemplificar lo que queremos decir aquí y porque’ estamos siendo duros en el lenguaje que utilizamos y/o en las acciones que proponemos. Existen múltiples experiencias que indican el camino que deben seguir las y los activistas en diversos campos

The role of ethics and ideology in our contribution to global health The topic of this article has vividly interested the author for many years. It is fascinating to him that the issues at stake have not changed for the last 30 years or so. As proof of this – and on purpose – references quoted are both those published before 1985 and after 1995 (Table 1). Considerable material on this topic was already available from the mid 1970s on. The end result has been the (re)construction of a scenario that has been stubborn to change and that looks into most of the, still highly relevant, burning questions of then and now on the issues pertaining to the title of this contribution for debate. It will be of interest to the reader to see how we often need to be reminded of the things our peers had evidence of and wrote about long before us – as the examples of Dr. Virchov and of the Alma Ata Declaration, for instance, show.

What drives public health professionals in their daily work? Presumably it is the appeal of working, either locally or globally, to alleviate the suffering caused by (preventable) ill-health. This article explores the political awareness of health professionals, the political implications of their daily activities and suggests an enhanced role for them in the battle against preventable ill-health worldwide. The starting point for this article is the motivating principles behind these professionals as individuals. It challenges established paradigms in health, medicine, development and academia with a focus on health professionals' political, ethical and ideological motivations and awareness plus the implications of their actions in the realm of global health in the future. It further has implications for the everyday practice of health care providers, public health practitioners, epidemiologists and social scientists in academia

The people’s health movement: an alternative to the globalization of health

This essay presents the People’s Health Movement, created in the year 2000, in the first People’s Health Assembly, and the work of its activists for "Health for All". The People’s Health Movement is a civil society initiative to counter the ill effects of globalization on health and health care. To fulfill its aim, the efforts that led to the creation of this network of activists are made explicit and the People’s Charter for the Health, a statement that explains the vision, objectives, principles and calls for action of the members of the People’s Health Movement. To conclude, the main activities already carried out by the global network of health activists are approached

Rapid decrease of malaria morbidity following the introduction of community-based monitoring in a rural area of central Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite a successful control programme, malaria has not completely disappeared in Vietnam; it remains endemic in remote areas of central Vietnam, where standard control activities seem to be less effective. The evolution of malaria prevalence and incidence over two and half years in a rural area of central Vietnam, after the introduction of community-based monitoring of malaria cases, is presented.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>After a complete census, six cross-sectional surveys and passive detection of malaria cases (by village and commune health workers using rapid diagnostic tests) were carried out between March 2004 and December 2006 in Ninh-Thuan province, in a population of about 10,000 individuals. The prevalence of malaria infection and the incidence of clinical cases were estimated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Malaria prevalence significantly decreased from 13.6% (281/2,068) in December 2004 to 4.0% (80/2,019) in December 2006. <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>and <it>Plasmodium vivax </it>were the most common infections with few <it>Plasmodium malariae </it>mono-infections and some mixed infections. During the study period, malaria incidence decreased by more than 50%, from 25.7/1,000 population at risk in the second half of 2004 to 12.3/1,000 in the second half of 2006. The incidence showed seasonal variations, with a yearly peak between June and December, except in 2006 when the peak observed in the previous years did not occur.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Over a 2.5-year follow-up period, malaria prevalence and incidence decreased by more than 70% and 50%, respectively. Possibly, this could be attributed to the setting up of a passive case detection system based on village health workers, indicating that a major impact on the malaria burden can be obtained whenever prompt diagnosis and adequate treatment are available.</p