Close the Gap: TB and Human Rights - An Activists Guide

This document serves as a framework for activists in Southern and East Africa working on HIV, tuberculosis (TB,) and human rights issues in the region. It offers information and calls to action around key issues related to TB prevention, treatment, and care identified as needing urgent attention. The Guide calls on civil society and activists to respond to TB with a rights-based approach in order to ensure that all people living with TB or those most vulnerable to developing TB can access justice where there are rights violations as a result of having TB.

The guide explains the need for a rights-based approach as follows: "Human rights are interlinked with who develops TB. The factors that increase vulnerability to contracting [TB] or reduce access to diagnostic, prevention and treatment services, are associated with people’s ability to realise their human rights." In addition, "Incorporating rights-based responses within health programming leads to increased and strengthened participation of rights-holders, they improve transparency and accountability; they reduce discrimination and vulnerabilities, by focusing on the most marginalised and excluded in society. Rights-based responses strengthen capacity and encourage agency in the rights-holders; thus promoting the realisation of their human rights; while pushing for progressive policy and practices in order to push for community-owed, sustainable results."

The guide is divided into the following five key topics identified as needing urgent attention in the region:

1. A rights-based approach to TB in Southern and Eastern Africa
2. Criminalisation of TB status: involuntary treatment, isolation, and detention
3. Human Rights and unequal access to TB care and treatment
4. Gender and TB
5. People most affected by TB

For each topic, the guide provides background to the issue and case studies from partner countries in the region to provide best practice examples of how civil society has been able to undertake advocacy efforts to promote rights-based responses related to that particular topic. In addition, each section includes proposed calls to action for civil society under the heading “Way forward for activists and civil society”. These are also summarised at the end of the guide.