Diabetes and human rights: your voice matters.

February 11, 2022

It’s Emma here…and I am Life for a Child’s Global Policy and Advocacy Manager.

This week, Life for a Child had news that an important paper we co-authored with advocacy colleagues was published. This paper is all about viewing access to diabetes care as an inherent human right.

As I sit here writing this, I can’t help but think that in just a few short weeks on March 3rd, I will hit my 23-year mark of living with type 1 diabetes. I never thought in my early days of accepting my diagnosis and learning how to dance with my condition, that it would be me learning from and helping to lead communities on how to advocate for access to diabetes care.

What I view to be the most helpful part of this newly published paper is that the message is simple. And that the message is rooted in an impermeable legal basis.

When we view access to diabetes care as a human right, we can genuinely fight for the improvement of equitable diabetes services. Such an approach provides a strong framework, theoretically and practically, for advocacy and policymaking changes.

The figure below illustrates diabetes care access through a human rights legal framework.

I want to be realistic though. There is a long road ahead for countries whose governments have yet to recognize the importance of this legal precedent through real provision of diabetes care within health systems. Life for a Child knows that in these contexts, there is much work to be done, but it is work that we are privileged to support through publications like these, and continued advocacy endeavors. This is why we were so motivated to organise the Rights Based Approach workshop. This is why we are planning to implement some very exciting advocacy resources in the next few months. Watch this space.

I want to take this opportunity to let all advocates reading this know that I truly believe you have the power to speak up. I want you to know that your voice matters when it comes to the care that you have the right to access despite where you may be in the world.

It is Life for a Child’s privilege to provide you with materials you may find helpful in your own local setting to help drive change. We encourage you to utilize this publication as another instrument within your advocacy toolbox and share within your networks of people living with diabetes, their families, healthcare professionals, and other important figures from your community. Below you will find a social media tile and an accompanying statement calling on those in power to take action and ensure access to diabetes care for everyone.

We thank co-authors Frank Brennan (Calvary Hospital), Paul Williams (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, University of Sydney), Kate Armstrong (Caring and Living as Neighbors [CLAN]), Neil Donelan (Insulin for Life Global), and Alicia Jenkins (Insulin for Life, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre) for their courage and guidance. We especially appreciate the expertise and guidance from Amy Eussen, an inspiring and impactful Human Rights Lawyer.