7. The right to health

 

 

 

Notwithstanding the fact that the number of health centres increased drastically over the past 20 years, the question of accessibility to health care remains a thorny subject: geographically (in the rural areas of the poorest countries), but also financially when social protection systems are non-existent or strongly deteriorated (that is the case of several Latin American or CIS countries with the sudden application of liberal policies). In conflict areas, access to health care is often extremely difficult as well.

 

 

Though already improved, information on physical and mental health should be more accessible through its popularization and translation in vernacular languages. Convincing experiences of awareness-raising about basic hygiene have been carried out by children for children (child to child).

In several contexts, prevention implies changing traditional practices, which have a negative impact on girls' health and life: genital mutilations, force-feeding for early marriages... It affects complex cultural schemes and needs to be carried on with intelligence, determination and perseverance.

 

48                    Prenatal and postnatal prevention

 

The reflection on responsible parenthood, assistance to pregnancy, parents' preparation to birth, their information on babies' needs help them to welcome their child and to protect him/her during the period of vulnerability that surrounds his/her birth and his/her first years of life [58].

 

 

Confronted with the HIV / AIDS tragedy and with the large number of children affected by this virus- either by direct transmission, or indirectly by a close person - the engagement for the rights of the child also consists in educating to a healthy sexuality and to inform on possible treatments and on precautions to take in order to avoid the virus spreading. A better knowledge will reduce fears and stigmatization from which the victims and their circle suffer. 

 

 

In the future decade, the development of effective basic public services - the surveillance of ground water, drinking water supplies, the development of sewer drainage system, waste management, less polluting means of public transport- is essential to protect children's health as they represent, together with the elderly, the most fragile populations. This will require massive investments very often exceeding the capacities of concerned cities and sometimes, even countries. International public and private aid will have to be solicited.

 

51                    Children and adolescents' psychological instability and mental health

 

The Europe-CIS Position Paper has underlined an increase in behaviours at risk among teenagers: consumption of drugs, alcohol [59], wandering, flight in the virtual world. These behaviours express deep isolation, even for those who give the impression to be socially integrated.

This uneasiness can result in violent behaviour, which turns against them: extreme imprudence, auto-mutilation and suicide attempts. It can also intervene through violence against others or against objects: xenophobia, aggressions, murders, extreme intolerance, destruction of cars or public or private buildings. It has become a serious public health and security problem generating social incomprehension.

It is important that the family and the educational and medical circle accompany these young people, trying to give them back positive motivations and attitudes, their self-respect and that appropriate structures are foreseen as from the first health care services.

 

 

In addition, we should not neglect to deal with the deep causes of this behaviour revealing violence and rebellion. They are often due to adults' failure, the deterioration of landmarks and to some types of family and social models that we propose to them as well as to the lack of future perspectives.

 

 

[58] See Note No 29 regarding Article 24.

[59] This problem is also strongly underlined in the Asia Position Paper : "Alcohol and substance abuse is one of the key problems facing children and young people in Asia today", p 16.