Health, as defined by the WHO in 1948, encompasses physical, mental, and social well-being. However, even today, many marginalized populations are in poor health, which is directly linked to social inequality. It’s time to rethink the relationship between health and human rights, and raise awareness of social health.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” – Constitution of WHO, 1948
When the international community recognized the need to address the health of people around the world and founded the WHO, one of the first things to be discussed was the definition of health. A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease and infirmity, was the conclusion reached, and this definition was proudly placed at the forefront of the WHO Constitution. Since the WHO was founded in 1948, this definition has become a truth known to anyone working in health-related fields.
The definition was revolutionary for its time. Traditionally, health has tended to focus solely on physical aspects. For example, in the Middle Ages, responses to epidemics or illnesses were primarily limited to physical treatment, with little recognition of the importance of mental or social well-being. In the modern world, however, health is not simply the absence of disease, but a condition that allows individuals to live a full life. This shift has had a profound impact on the way we approach healthcare and welfare systems. An integrated and comprehensive approach to understanding health has become important in many areas, including health policy, public health strategies, and even individual health care.
Yet even today, 70 years after the definition was established and the WHO was founded, the overwhelming majority of people in the world are not healthy. And it’s easy to see that the overwhelming majority of unhealthy people are socially marginalized. The relationship between social vulnerability and health is deeply intertwined. Economic inequality, education, housing, and access to healthcare all have a direct impact on health status. In particular, low-income and uneducated populations have fewer opportunities to prevent or properly manage health problems, which makes them more susceptible to disease, creating a vicious cycle.
The relationship between marginalized groups and health
The concept of “socially disadvantaged” is a difficult one to pin down, but we believe it is a shared perception across society that there are social groups that are perceived as “vulnerable” and that their general health is poor. While health-related concepts are frequently associated with marginalized groups, it is relatively rare for health issues to be associated with what is commonly perceived as the “upper class” of society. Are marginalized people unhealthy because they are marginalized?
In the conversation about the relationship between health and social status, the impact of social status on health has long been a topic of constant discussion, but the reverse has rarely been discussed. However, we can easily find examples of people who have historically been unhealthy because of their lower social status. The most prominent examples are Hansen’s disease and AIDS patients. These are unhealthy groups of people who didn’t fulfill the conditions of physical well-being. When it comes to mental well-being, it’s obvious to look around and see how many mentally ill people are treated in society. The unhealthy become the marginalized. This is why the relationship between class and health should not be seen as a one-way street, but rather as a mutual influence.
History of health = history of human rights?
Human history has been a story of the unhealthy regaining their status. People with AIDS in the United States have faced discrimination since the 80s, when the first clinical cases were reported, but after more than 30 years of struggle, their rights and recognition have gradually improved. People with mental illnesses are also becoming more recognized than ever before. There is also a history of marginalized groups, such as women, using their health issues to claim their human rights. Women’s health rights go beyond physical health and are deeply connected to issues such as childbirth, sexual violence, and mental health. These issues have been publicized and improved because women have consistently demanded their human rights and made their voices heard.
So is the history of health advancement a history of human rights advancement? Many people would consider this idea to be a leap of logic. The notion that human rights are equivalent to health is counterintuitive. The most obvious counterexample is the discrimination of people of color. People of color were not physically or mentally unhealthy, yet for decades and centuries, they faced extreme discrimination. But despite this conceptual incongruity, the history of human rights is the history of health. As we saw earlier, health is “physical, mental, and social well-being.
Health, an everyday human right
This definition suggests that the history of human rights is the history of health. However, it seems that our society is still very unfamiliar with health as a social concept. In the definition, the order in which the three dimensions are presented is “physical, mental, and social well-being” because physical well-being is the most intuitive to us, followed by mental well-being, and social well-being is the most foreign to us. Mental health has only recently become more accepted in our society. How many people in our society take care of their own mental health? Mental health is not yet at this level of acceptance, let alone social health.
Some might ask, what does it mean to say that we need to cultivate awareness of social health apart from awareness of human rights? If the two are fundamentally the same concept, why do we need to revisit social health awareness? The answer lies in our attitudes toward human rights and health. In terms of the impression that each word gives, the word ‘health’ feels more cared for and routine than the word ‘human rights’. It’s not just a play on words. When human rights become part of health, they become closer to our lives.
The history of human rights advancement continues today. Compared to the past, the rights of women, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups have undoubtedly improved. However, human rights are still a subject of education, enlightenment, and achievement, not something that is readily accepted in the realm of everyday life. There is still much work to be done before everyone is ‘healthy’. The image of health up to now has focused mainly on physical and mental health. It is time to pay attention to social health alongside these two, and the result of our efforts will be a ‘healthy society’.
