ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on victims or potential victims, implicit or explicit and evaluates some years of international action in the field of human rights following the adoption of the Universal Declaration, and to address future challenges. It discusses the whole spectrum of international human rights action. The book also focuses on the human rights struggles of specific groups: women, children, indigenous peoples, minorities, refugees, migrants, the homeless, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly, and those discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. It explains regional human rights action in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Western Europe, and East and Central Europe. The book provides an overview of the specialized contribution of the health professions to the field of trauma of human rights denial and violation.
