Excluded and left behind: Racial discrimination and structural inequalities in the right to health
| Published date | 01 December 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/09240519241298013 |
| Author | Tina Stavrinaki |
| Date | 01 December 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Column |
Excluded and left behind:
Racial discrimination and
structural inequalities in the
right to health
Tina Stavrinaki
International and European Law Department, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht,
Netherlands
Abstract
Racial discrimination is a structural social determinant of health and a separate health risk leading
to preventable negative health inequities. This column introduces the recently adopted (2024)
general recommendation by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which
focuses on racial discrimination and structural inequalities in the enjoyment of the right to health.
This column provides insight into the comprehensive and intersectional approach of the
Committee in clarifying the right to equality and freedom from racial discrimination in the enjoy-
ment of the right to health. Recalling that it does not suffice to prohibit and refrain from racial
discrimination under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, the column briefly explains what measures must be taken to ensure that equality
in the enjoyment of the right to health does not remain an empty promise for millions of people
around the globe.
Keywords
Racism, inequalities, health, treaty-bodies, general recommendation
1. INTRODUCTION
Racial discrimination is one of the structural determinants of health, producing social stratification of
populations in access to resources and opportunities, and increasing exposure to health-harming con-
Corresponding author:
Tina Stavrinaki, International and European Law Department, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Email: s.stavrinaki@uu.nl
Creative Commons CC BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribu-
tion of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open
Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Column
Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights
2024, Vol. 42(4) 309–318
© The Author(s) 2024
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/09240519241298013
journals.sagepub.com/home/nqh
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