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© Amon et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited: Amon JJ, Baral SD, Beyrer C, Kass N (2012) Human Rights Research and Ethics Review: Protecting Individuals or Protecting the State? PLoS Med 9(10): e1001325. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001325

Abstract

Abbreviations: LMICs, low- and middle-income countries; MSM, men who have sex with men; REC, research ethics committee Summary Points * Recently there has been a dramatic expansion in research conducted in low- and middle-income countries, as well as research ethics committees (RECs) in these countries. * RECs in low- and middle-income countries have little experience overseeing human rights research and may be subject to government control or influence that may favor the interests of the state over the interests of individual research participants. * Many human rights investigators are trained in disciplines with ethical codes and professional norms, but do not typically engage RECs nor see human rights documentation as research, and they tend to view REC approval as counterproductive to the protection of research participants. * Case studies of human rights research can provide important lessons on navigating conflicts of interest posed by some local (i.e., in country) RECs. * Expanding the use of community engagement and developing strong ethical operating principles can help ensure that individuals and researchers are protected in human rights research and investigations. Key among these are the World Medical Association's 1964 Declaration of Helsinki [17], the US Department of Health and Human Services Belmont Report and regulations for the protection of research participants [18],[19], the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences international ethical guidelines [20], and the International Conference of Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (http://www.ich.org/).

Details

Title
Human Rights Research and Ethics Review: Protecting Individuals or Protecting the State?
Author
Amon, Joseph J; Baral, Stefan D; Beyrer, Chris; Kass, Nancy
Pages
e1001325
Section
Policy Forum
Publication year
2012
Publication date
Oct 2012
Publisher
Public Library of Science
ISSN
15491277
e-ISSN
15491676
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1288096507
Copyright
© Amon et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited: Amon JJ, Baral SD, Beyrer C, Kass N (2012) Human Rights Research and Ethics Review: Protecting Individuals or Protecting the State? PLoS Med 9(10): e1001325. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001325