The Right (Way) to Represent: The Emotional Politics of Remembering Mass Rape in Germany After 1945.

A Woman in Berlin (1954) has undoubtedly shaped global understanding of wartime rape. The present article focuses on the diarist's use of humor to process her disorientation, assert her subjectivity, and build affective links with other victims. I consider how the diary's tone influenced its reception and thus how aesthetic analysis might illuminate the conditions under which stories about sexual violence become audible, as well as the ways in which the "cultural politics of emotion" (to quote the title of Sarah Ahmed's 2004 study) can both foster and obstruct human rights projects.

Beyond medical humanitarianism - Politics and humanitarianism in the figure of the Midani physician.

This article explores the complex position of local physicians at times of political unrest or conflict, conceptualizing local medical voluntarism as a form of collective action. It analyzes the evolving interpretation of medical neutrality among Egyptian physicians who provided medical assistance to injured protesters in the Egyptian uprising (2011-2013). In-depth interviews with 24 medical and non-medical volunteers on their perception of medical neutrality were matched with their mobilization and participation history, showing the extent towards which political considerations influenced their voluntary medical engagement. The results firstly show that revolutionary political considerations played a central role in the physicians' mobilization into medical networks active in the protests, as well as in their interpretation of their medical and non-medical activities. Secondly, I argue that the interpretation of medical neutrality among Egyptian physicians evolved significantly over time. A special type of medical volunteer took shape, the midani physician. This physician openly expresses his/her political convictions and adheres to (self-defined) humanitarian principles through a conscious reconciliation of the two. The article details the increasing difficulty of this task after the revolutionary movement splintered into competing factions and citizens ended up fighting each other instead of authoritarian rule.

El alivio del dolor ¿es un derecho humano? / No disponible

En este trabajo se analiza el artículo titulado "El alivio del dolor como un derecho humano", escrito por F. Brennan y M. Cousins, en donde los autores proclaman la formulación de un novedoso derecho fundamental y revisan diversos instrumentos internacionales de Derechos Humanos, para sustentar el argumento de que el paciente debe ser protegido contra el insuficiente tratamiento del dolor. Diversos autores y organizaciones han denunciado las causas, debidas a diversos factores, por las cuales el dolor no es tratado en toda su extensión. Los factores normativos estriban en la autorización y/o prohibición de la distribución, consumo, uso y comercialización de fármacos, por parte de las agencias gubernamentales. Los factores económicos son multicausales puesto que se relacionan directamente con el acceso a servicios de salud y a medicamentos. Se identifica como un serio problema de salud pública, el que no se destinen suficientes recursos para la implementación de unidades para tratamiento del dolor crónico o temporal o para la investigación relativa al tema. La falta de educación y actualización de los profesionales de salud es otro problema importante. Dentro de las causas sociales se encuentran entre otras, la desigualdad en el acceso a los servicios de salud, la pobreza, la falta de cobertura médica y la discriminación hacia ciertos grupos sociales. En el texto se hace un sucinto recorrido por los principales instrumentos internacionales de Derechos Humanos. Se retoman los instrumentos examinados por Brennan y Cousins, con la aportación de agregar documentos regionales del Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos. Para los Estados Miembros de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), que padecen la problemática propia de los países en vías de desarrollo: muchas necesidades, alta densidad de población y escasez de recursos, se torna urgente plantearse el Derecho a la Salud bajo nuevas perspectivas. Pensar soluciones que no solo giren en torno al factor económico, sino que impacten sobre los aspectos culturales, sociales, legislativos y de políticas públicas, relativos al tema del dolor. Consideramos que el alivio del dolor es y, ha sido a lo largo de la historia de la Medicina, una de las grandes aspiraciones humanas, pero que su formulación como derecho podría quedarse en un grado abstracto e inalcanzable; mientras que el derecho al acceso al manejo del dolor es un derecho más asequible, que se relaciona con los derechos a la salud, a la integridad personal, a no ser tratado inhumanamente y a alcanzar un nivel de vida adecuado y con calidad, que ya han sido reconocidos y firmados por los países, mediante los tratados internacionales. Esto significa que cuentan con mecanismos de protección de Derechos Humanos y formas por las cuales pueden hacerse valer frente al Estado (AU)

This paper analyzes the article "Pain relief a human right," written by F. Brennan and M. Cousins, in which the authors claim the formulation of a new fundamental right, and review various international human rights instruments, to support the argument that the patient should be protected from the inadequate treatment of pain. Several authors and organizations have denounced the reasons, due to various factors, why the pain is not treated in its entirety. Regulatory factors lie in the authorization and/or prohibition of the distribution, consumption, use and marketing of drugs by government agencies. Economic factors are related to many causes such as access to health services and medicines. It is identified as a serious public health problem, as not enough resources are allocated for the implementation of units for the treatment of chronic or temporary pain or for research on this topic. Lack of education and updating of health professionals is another major problem. Among the social causes are the inequality in access to health services, poverty, lack of medical coverage and discrimination against certain social groups. The text is a brief tour of the main international human rights instruments. The instruments reviewed by Brennan and Cousins, are taken into consideration, adding up the regional documents of the American System of protection of Human Rights. For Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS), which suffer from problems typical of developing countries: large number of necessities, high population density and scarcity of resources, it becomes urgent to raise the Right to Health under new perspectives. Think solutions that not only revolve around the economic factor, but that impact on the cultural, social, legislative and public policy relating to the subject of pain. We believe that pain relief is and has been throughout the history of medicine, one of the great human aspirations, but its formulation as a legal right could stay such as abstract and unreachable, while the right to access pain management is a more attainable right that relates to other rights to health, to integrity, to not be treated inhumanely and to enjoy an adequate level of living and quality, which have been recognized and signed by the countries in the international treaties. This means that these Human Rights have already mechanisms of protection and legal ways in which may be asserted against the State (AU)

Protecting mental health clients' dignity - the importance of legal control.

Protecting human beings' dignity is a fundamental value underlying the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as several recommendations and conventions derived from this, among them the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), a declaration that also takes precedence over Norwegian legislation. Still, clients' stories inform us that their dignity is not always protected in the mental health service systems. The aim of the study has been to investigate violations of dignity considered from the clients' points of view, and to suggest actions that may ensure that practice is brought in line with human rights values. The method used has been a qualitative content analysis of 335 client narratives. The conclusion is that mental health clients experience infringements that cannot be explained without reference to their status as clients in a system which, based on judgments from medical experts, has a legitimate right to ignore clients' voices as well as their fundamental human rights. The main focus of this discussion is the role of the ECHR and the European Court of Human Rights as instruments for protecting mental health clients' human rights. To bring about changes, recommendations and practices should be harmonized with the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). Under this convention, the European Court of Human Rights has support for the application of the ECHR without exemptions for special groups of people.

La dignidad como fundamento de la biopolítica / The dignity as basis of the Biopolitics

La dignidad humana representa desde la perspectiva social, jurídica y política, el imperativo categórico de nuestro tiempo, tal y como versa en el artículo nº 1 de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos (ONU, 1948): ®Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos¼. La persona tiene que ser contemplada desdeel punto de vista holístico y reconocer que es un ser dotado de principios y derechos que lo deben proteger de cualquier arbitrariedad por el abuso del poder o situación de indignidad e iniquidad. Derechos y deberes que a lo largo de la historia se han conformado y positivado progresivamente, más sin embargo, no logra permear a los diversosestratos sociales y constituirse en forma integral, a pesar de ser norma común en las diversas constituciones del planeta. Epistemológicamente, la dignidad constituye un auténtico hilo conductor primario entre los ámbitos éticos, jurídicos y políticos. La dignidad humana se erige como el principio de los principios, el eje modulador de los criterios de justicia ylegalidad. De la dignidad se genera la necesaria y responsable libertad que permite al hombre y a la mujer, ser seres en busca de su autenticidad, de su comprensión de ser seres-para-la-vida, capaces de autorrealizarse con esperanza y con miras a la convivencia armónica y justa. Una dignidad que no puede disociarse del principio de individualidad, y por ende, de su integridad, privacidad e intimidad. Fundamentos que a su vez no pueden ser separados de su relación existencial con-los-otros y con-el-ambiente, en una relación homeostática social y de supervivencia de la humanidad.

The role of sub-lethal weapons in human rights abuse.

This article is based on two recent reports contracted by the European Parliament (EP), which assessed sub-lethal weapons as flexible tools of political control. It analyses the role and function of existing weapons systems in human rights abuses using examples from Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Northern Ireland and Turkey. These weapons are designed to 'appear' rather than 'be' safe and, since they augment rather than replace lethal technologies, their use can distort conflicts and actually bridge the firewall between use of less-lethal and lethal technologies.

Perspectives and implications for the proliferation of non-lethal weapons in the context of contemporary conflict, security interests and arms control.

This article briefly looks at the characteristics of contemporary conflict and the global political arena, particularly from 1989 and the end of the cold war. The development of and potential roles for second generation non-lethal weapons (NLWs) in war-fighting, peace support operations, and civil policing are discussed. There are arguments both for and against further and rapid development of NLWs. The question of proliferation and arms control is examined within the context of concepts such as the revolution in military affairs (RMA) and factors such as the increasing role of non-state actors, current security requirements and the problems concerning the implementation and enforcement of current and envisaged arms control regimes. Proliferation, which may be vertical or horizontal, may not always be seen as a malign process but rather one which requires specific ethical and operational perspectives. Proliferation is about both technology push and operational requirements. The effectiveness of legislative approaches to controlling proliferation, especially to countries which are considered to have poor human rights records, is discussed and issues about who wants to control NLWs, and why, are raised. Some technologies may be seen as less threatening to existing arms control and management treaties and the ethical debates which surround them. A concern regarding increasing use of non-lethal technologies for political oppression is part of this debate. The issues are illustrated using India as case study.

Prevention of torture and care of survivors. An integrated approach.

An analysis of the 1992 Amnesty International report demonstrates the nature and global distribution of reports of human rights violations. Systematic torture was reported in 93 of 204 countries. Reports of torture were more common from regions affected by political unrest, including mass demonstrations, riots, outbreaks of violence, killings, coup attempts, civil war, armed tribal conflict, rebellions, and conflicts with various opposition groups demanding social and political reform. These observations suggest that effective measures against torture require a multilevel analysis of underlying social, political, cultural, and psychological factors. Effective care of survivors of organized violence and torture is an indispensable component of the human rights struggle and needs more scientific attention. An integrated approach involving both preventive efforts and care of survivors can promote the human rights cause.

Hijos de desaparecidos: secuelas del abandono forzado

Estudio sobre las secuelas psicofísicas, sociales y jurídicas que padecen los niños cuyos padres se encuentran desaparecidos. Se presentan una serie de pautas para establecer una vía terapéutica que posibilite la recuperación integral de los niños damnificados

Hijos de desaparecidos: secuelas del abandono forzado

Estudio sobre las secuelas psicofísicas, sociales y jurídicas que padecen los niños cuyos padres se encuentran desaparecidos. Se presentan una serie de pautas para establecer una vía terapéutica que posibilite la recuperación integral de los niños damnificados