Human Rights Syllabi: Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley

University of the Western Cape

Winter School Programme in Public Health

Health and Human Rights Train-The-Trainers Course

17th to 21st July 2000
Economics and Management Sciences Building

Co-Convenors: Leslie London and Laurel Baldwin-Ragaven (University of Cape Town Public Health and Primary Health Care Departments) and Karrisha Pillay (University of the Western Cape Community Law Centre)

Training in human rights for health professionals has increasingly been identified as a critical need for the health sector. This is particularly the case in light of the findings of the Truth Commission that highlighted the role played by training institutions in human rights abuses under apartheid.

The course is aimed at teaching staff in institutions training health professionals -- Universities, Technicons, Nursing Colleges and other Training Facilities. Participants should ideally be teachers active in undergraduate or postgraduate teaching in a position to introduce or facilitate ongoing sustainability of training initiatives beyond the course.

The aim of the course is to:

• enable participants to understand the conceptual framework for human rights, its relationship to health, the historical context and national and international human rights debates relating health and human rights.
• Promote understanding of professional and ethical codes to support human rights
• Explore the past and future roles of institutions in the health sector with regard to human rights
• Recognise the importance of self-study, reflection on the past to plan for the future
• Explore strategies for curriculum change, including multidisiplinary teaching, identifying clinical settings in which human rights abuses take place, and exploring the relationship between ethics and human rights
• Identify core and discipline-specific competencies in human rights
• Share resources available (electronic and other)

The course is based on a previous pilot course run at UWC Winter School in 1998. With this course, however, we aim to maintain a network of human rights teachers beyond the life of the course, through ongoing communication and support.

Programme Outline

CH: Chloe Hardy, Gender Commission
CM: Charlotte Maclean, SA HRC
CV: Charles Villa-Vicencia, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
DB: David Benatar, UCT Philosophy Department
GP: Gonda Perez, UCT Health Sciences Transformation Officer
PM: Pat Mayers, UCT Nursing
JB: Joshua Bloom, visiting Human Rights Intern
LB: Laurel Baldwin-Ragaven, Co-convenor
LL: Leslie London, Co-convenor
MoS: Michelle O'Sullivan, Community Law Centre
PM: Pat Mayers, UCT Nursing
RK: Rhoda Kadalie, IDASA
SL: Sheila Lapinsky, PAWC Human Resources
WO: Wendy Orr, WITS Transformation Officer

Course Reader

Conventions and Codes

• United Nations. (1984). Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
• United Nations General Assembly. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Resolution 217 A (III).
• United Nations General Assembly. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Resolution 2200 A (XXI) (1966).
• International Council of Nurses. (1975). The Nurse's Role in the Care of Detainees and Prisoners, and other conventions
• World Medical Association. (1948; 1968; 1983). The Declaration of Geneva, International Code of Medical Ethics and other codes.
• World Confederation for Physical Therapy. (1991). Declaration for Physiotherapists: Guidelines Concerning Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and other codes.

Origins of Human Rights and the Relationship to Health

• lacopino, V. (1995). Human Rights: Health Concerns for the Twenty-First Century. In Eds: Majumdar et al. Medicine and Health Care into the Twenty-first century. Pennsylvania Academy of Science, pp 376-391.
• Mann, J. M. et al. (1996). Health and Human Rights. Health & Human Rights, 1: 6-23.
• Toebes, B. (1999). The Right to Health as a Human Right in International Law, Hart Intersentia, pp 3-24.

Health Professionals' Practice and Human Rights Responsibilities

• Evans, D. (1995). Everybody's Business. Nursing Times, 91(49): 27-28.
• Nightingale, E. O. & Stover, E. (1986). A Question of Conscience: Physicians in Defence of Human Rights. JAMA, 255(20): 2794-2797.
• Steere, J. & Dowdall, T. (1990). On Being Ethical in Unethical Places: The Dilemmas of South African Clinical Psychologists. Hastings Centre Report March/April 1990: pp11-15.
• Prison Doctor Faces Misconduct Charge after Speaking Out. (1996). BMJ, 312: 141.
• Shepherd J, et al and other authors (1995). Ethical Debate: Should Doctors Be More Proactive as Advocates for Victims of Violence should? Towards Interagency Procedures to Protect Victims and Prevent Violence. BMJ, 311: 1167 onwards.
• Zwi, A. B. (1987). The Political Abuse of Medicine and the Challenge of Opposing It. Soc. Sci. Med., 25(6):649-657.
• Amnesty International. (1996). Prescription for Change: Health Professionals and the Exposure of Human Rights Violations. (Monograph). Amnesty International, London.
• Manganyi NC. (1987). Ethics and the social responsibility of health workers. Contin Med Educ 5:35-38.
• Benatar SR. (1997). Medicine and social responsibility-a role for South African doctors. (Editorial). S Afr Med Journal 87:281-284.
• Leary V. (1995). Justiciability and Beyond, Complaint Procedures and the Right to Health, In The Review, International Commission of Jurists, pp105-122.
• Tomasevski K. (1995). Health Rights, In Eds: Eide et al, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: A Textbook, pp 125-142.

Accountability of Health Professionals

• Lucas, T. & Pross, C. (1995). Caught Between Conscience and Complicity: Human Rights Violations and the Health Professions. Medicine & Global Survival, 2(2)106-114.
• Vesti, P. (1988). Why Are Torturers Never Punished? Danish Medical Bulletin, 35(5):493-495.

Human Rights and Refugees

• Summerfield, D. (1993). The Roots of Torture and Atrocity. BMJ, 306:403.
• Amnesty International. (1998). Refugees: Human Rights Have No Borders.
• South African Debates on Accountability, Truth and Reconciliation
• Levy, J. (undated). Perilous Purge. Democracy in Action.pp 5-7.
• Cape Times. (5/8/97). TRC Must Look at `Ordinary' Apartheid - 2-part series of articles.
• London, L. et al. (1996). Medical Complicity in Torture: Healing the Past. Editorial Commentary and Debate. SAMJ, 86(9):1069-1070.
• Mandell, B. B. (1996). MASA and a Truth Commission for the Medical Profession. Editorial Commentary and Debate. SAMJ, 86(9): 1070-1071.
• Gould C. (2000). Basson Trial. HHRNET, 28/4/00 and 14/6/00.
• Cape Times. (25/4/97). News Cuttings on Racism in South Africa's Health System.
• De Gruchy, J. et al (1998). The Difficult Road to Truth and Reconciliation -- The Health Sector Takes Its First Steps. SAMJ, 88(8): 975-979.

Education of Health Professionals

• Sorensen, B. & Vesti, P. (1990). Medical Education for the Prevention of Torture. Medical Education, 24:467-469.
• Abdool Karim, S. S. (1997). Promoting Health and Human Rights in South Africa. Editorial Commentary and Debate. SAMJ, 87(2):240.
• Geiger, H. J. (1997). Health Professions and Human Rights: The Long Road. SAMJ, 87(2): 241.
• London, L. et al. (1997). Preparing Future Doctors to Meet Ethical Challenges: A Training Course in Health and Human Rights for Medical Students. SAMJ, 87(2): 242-245.
• Leaning, J. (1997). Human Rights and Medical Education. BMJ, 315: 1390-1391.
• Keller, A. S. et al. (1996). Human Rights Education for Cambodian Health Professionals. Health & Human Rights, 1(3):256-271.
• Anonymous. (1996). Why Promote Human Rights Education. In: The bells of freedom. Action Professionals Association.
• Claude RP. (1991). Human rights education: The case of the Philippines. Human Rights Quarterly. John Hopkins University Press.
• Reardon BA. (1995). Introduction: Purposes and Approaches. Educating for Human Dignity: Learning about rights and responsibilities. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Above 3 readings taken from lacopino, V. Human Rights and Health: Volume 2. Odin Readers.

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