A curated collection of Digital Health and Rights Project peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, policy briefs, and more for in-depth exploration.
Digital health is growing rapidly; 2020 alone saw over $14.1 billion in new investment (Rock Health 2020). But as health systems increasingly become digitized, will access to health services be improved, or will digitization amplify inequalities, causing unintended harm to those who have historically experienced discrimination?
Cocreado con más de 300 personas jóvenes adultas de zonas rurales, urbanas y periurbanas de Kenia, Ghana, Vietnam y Colombia, este informe de investigación ofrece perspectivas sobre cómo las personas jóvenes adultas que viven en los márgenes están asumiendo los costes de conectarse a la salud en línea.
El documento de política analiza los retos y oportunidades de Colombia para garantizar los derechos humanos en entornos digitales y propone cinco estrategias para un ecosistema más inclusivo. Destaca la brecha digital, la violencia de género tecnológica, la vigilancia y la exclusión, y plantea una transformación digital participativa que reduzca desigualdades y proteja derechos como educación, salud y privacidad.
This research explores how digital health systems in Kenya can exacerbate inequality in the context of inadequate governance and rights protections. Based on participatory research with marginalized young people, it emphasizes a “triple barrier” consisting of high connectivity costs, stigma, and low digital literacy, along with privacy risks and widespread technology-facilitated abuse. These challenges frequently result in individuals withdrawing from digital platforms. Findings reveal gaps in enforcement of data protection and limited availability of remedies, positioning digital health as an issue of governance and equity while advocating for enhanced rights-based policies, inclusive access, and meaningful youth participation in decision-making processes.
This report summarises discussions at a workshop held at Fondation Brocher, Hermance, Switzerland in January 2023. The workshop gave our consortium a chance to step back, reflect on our first studies, and discuss learning from experience in 2021-22.
This article from BMJ Global Health argues that new digital health strategies and policies have not benefited from public awareness and input. It proposes participatory approaches to address these inequalities and promote rights-based digital governance.
This article from BMJ Global Health draws on DHRP's first participatory action research study in Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam in 2021-22 to investigate the impact of the digital transformation on health of diverse young adults.
This essay draws on the HIV response to critically engage with recent literature on the digital determinants of health, proposing an approach to analyzing broader political determinants of health, including commercial determinants of health, and other laws, policies, governance, and civic engagement relevant to digital health strategies. By rendering visible the role of politics, governance, and civic engagement in digital health, strategies can be tools to mobilize broad collaborations and advocacy that creates an enabling environment.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) is approaching a new grant cycle. Grant Cycle 8 (GC8) will run for three years between 2026-2028 and there are a number of key ways that communities and civil society can input into the process. The purpose of this guide, produced by STOPAIDS and DHRP is to support communities and civil society in navigating digital health rights in GC8 documents and processes.
DHRP's Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health call for input 'Health as an Enabler of Dignity' – Human Rights Council 62nd Report
