International legal standards for ensuring the right of minors deprived of liberty to health

Abstract

The article analyzes the general and special international legal acts in the field of regulation of the right to the highest standard of living (right to health) of minors deprived of liberty, in particular: Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1924, United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, United Nations Minimum Standard Rules on the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules), 1985, United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines), 1990, UN General Assembly special resolutions on the protection of the rights of the child, including children deprived of their liberty, etc. The emphasis is placed on key problematic aspects of the protection of the right to health of minors deprived of their liberty, in particular: the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; harm to the mental and physical health of children in all situations of imprisonment; the spread of sexually transmitted infections. The article focuses on the special needs of children with disabilities. Given the existing problems of drug use, which contribute to the spread of infectious diseases among the categories of prisoners, cause significant harm to the health of minors, attention is focused on the characteristics of special rules in this area. Given the fact that the emergence and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a modern threat and a challenge to health of population in general, including persons deprived of their liberty, attention is paid to international acts, which set out recommendations to protect this category of persons during the pandemic. Relevant conclusions and recommendations have been made to improve the status of minors deprived of their liberty.