Medical Hostages: Detention of Women and Babies in Hospitals

“This report refers throughout to rights “to health and through health” to express this fact: the right to health does not stand alone but is indivisible from other human rights. Good health not only depends on but is also a prerequisite for pursuing other rights. Human rights cannot be fully enjoyed without health; likewise, health cannot be fully enjoyed without the dignity that is upheld by all other human rights.

A transformative leadership agenda is vital if women, children and adolescents are to realize their health and well-being and to flourish and prosper. This report describes the key dimensions of this agenda. The Working Group urges the world’s leaders to found their efforts in pursuit of this agenda squarely on the human rights principles of equality, inclusiveness, non-discrimination, participation and accountability. Evidence shows that this formula can create the transformation necessary to secure more peaceful, fairer and more inclusive societies, for everyone.