title: Health and human rights advocacy: perspectives from a Rwandan refugee camp.
abstract: Working at the bedside and within communities as patient advocates, nurses frequently intervene to advance individuals' health and well-being. However, the International Council of Nurses' Code of Ethics asserts that nurses should expand beyond the individual model and also promote a rights-enabling environment where respect for human dignity is paramount. This article applies the results of an ethnographic human rights study with displaced populations in Rwanda to argue for a rights-based social advocacy role for nurses. Human rights advocacy strategies include sensitization, participation, protection, good governance, and accountability. By adopting a rights-based approach to advocacy, nurses contribute to health agendas that include more just social relationships, equitable access to opportunities, and health-positive living situations for all persons.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. cpavlish@sonnet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pavlish
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Ann-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rounkle
mesh_terms: D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000941:ethics*; D012036:Refugees; D012432:Rwanda