Volume 5 (No 1-2)

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Browsing Volume 5 (No 1-2) by Subject "COVID-19 pandemic"
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    A she-cession? Exploring labour policy responses to COVID-19 and their impact on women's right to work in Europe
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Altafin, Chiara ; Baiker, Manuela ; McCall Magan, Ríon ; Mancarella, Francesca ; Ferreira, Mariana
    Women’s right to work in Europe has been disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This article explores how and to what extent certain European countries have developed labour policy responses reflecting a feminist human rights preparedness during the pandemic’s first two years. The impacts of the policies on women’s right to work in Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Germany are examined under critical policy analysis (CPA) methodology and from a human rights-based approach. Ultimately, it is argued that these states failed to immediately address the disproportionately gendered impacts in the labour market. Across all case studies, the analysis identifies a shortfall in protection for certain categories of women which has challenged the fulfilment of their right to work and left them in a state of ‘she-cession’. As a result, previous structures and tendencies defining the roles of women in society have been reinforced. In light of such unpreparedness, policy recommendations are elaborated upon from a feminist human rights perspective, in which attention is given to: intersectionality; dynamics of social hierarchies and power structures affecting access to rights; equal participation in policy decision-making; availability of data on the impact of states’ ongoing responses; and engagement with relevant stakeholders to monitor and ensure women’s enjoyment of the right to work.
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    Envisioning the new normal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic: Inequality, COVID-19 and vulnerability
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Dharmendra Bahadur, Dhami ; Huang, Zhouzheng ; Awkit, Graciela Ann ; Santayakul, Sirikanya
    The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected millions of people across the globe. The pandemic inarguably impacted the social and economic lives of all people, especially in vulnerable and minority groups. This research aimed to identify the pre-pandemic discourse of normalcy among vulnerable and minority groups, and a split in the discourse of the ‘new normal’ which lessens the likelihood that a new-normal regime will emerge to enhance the resilience of these groups in future crises. The research includes cases of vulnerable and minority groups from four Asian countries: orphans in Thailand, Dalits in Nepal, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Philippines, and elderly people in China. Orphan children in Thailand experienced devastating consequences from the pandemic, being deprived of education, government assistance, medical care and vaccination. Dalits in Nepal are the victims of age-old caste-based discrimination, and they were further discriminated against by pandemic relief distribution and recovery programs and in quarantines. They were excluded from government remedies, denied admission to hospitals, and expelled from work places. Some starved to death due to financial and food crises, and their children were deprived of basic rights including education. In the Philippines, the pandemic had an appalling impact on OFWs and their families, exacerbating non-payment of wages, wage theft and discrimination. Government job preservation guidelines weren’t effective for OFWs, especially for undocumented migrant workers. Finally, in China, elderly people were one of the vulnerable groups most impacted by the pandemic. They faced declines in service quality and mental health, and a shortage of professional staff in nursing homes. Their lack of digital literacy excluded them from pandemic monitoring, online medical care and contactless government services. Through these four cases, the research identifies gaps in the pandemic response and remedies of the states for the vulnerable and minority groups. The paper proposes that, instead of a model treating these health crises, economic crises and social crises as consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, they should be treated as separate issues for specific minority and vulnerable groups to allow appropriate responses to the pandemic-induced challenges that they experience.
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    Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic rights
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Kurian, Rachel
    COVID-19 is the respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first detected in Wuhan, China, in 2019. On 30 January 2020 the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and on 11 March assessed it as a pandemic. Since its onset, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected 221 countries and territories, and caused millions of deaths. In the wake of the pandemic, governments initially focused on accessing and distributing vaccines, enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing, closing schools and public events, and restricting the movement of people via border closures, lockdowns and curfews, to avoid the spread of the virus. While some of these measures were eased up in 2021, there was continued vigilance on minimising risk of exposure as, in many countries, the easing has also been associated with the occurrence of more cases. While the macro-level figures have been contested, as have the policies and priorities of governments, they highlight to some extent the spread and intensity of the pandemic and the efforts by governments to contain the infection. What they do not fully reveal are the inequalities and inequities in the occurrence and experience of the virus globally and within countries, and how marginalised and discriminated groups were often exposed to greater risks in the context of COVID-19. It is therefore essential from a social justice and human rights perspective to use a political economy framework and analyse the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed for vulnerable groups, and to struggle to ensure that post-pandemic growth be guided and embedded in a more equitable and inclusive pattern of development.
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    Pandemic and the access to healthcare: Economic inequality and marginalisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Burzan, Miloš ; Bellaadem, Imane ; Alispahić, Selma ; Muzzillo, Carolina ; Russo, Giulia
    Access to healthcare for Roma people and older adults (65+) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Croatia has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. In responding to the pandemic, neither BiH nor Croatia have sufficiently addressed the complex and nuanced vulnerabilities of these social groups. By employing a comparative approach between the two countries, the article presents in-group and between-group differences based on gender, ethnicity, age, place of residence and legal status. The marginalisation of the Roma and older people is traced back to the structural inequalities associated with transitional state apparatus, corruption and neoliberal policies in both countries. While similar discriminatory trends are observed in both countries, the data indicate that the Croatian state apparatus is more organised in securing access to healthcare than that of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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    Regional developments in human rights and democratisation during 2020: A focus on the European Union
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Calzati, Fabio ; Larnerd, Nicolas Jude ; Lombardi, Federica
    This article aims to highlight the key developments, strategies and responses which had impacts on civil society within the European region in 2020. A sociological focus is used to capture the breadth of issues and their full impact on the struggles faced by EU citizens, with an emphasis on vulnerable communities. In fact, amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU and its member states experienced a detrimental rollback in human rights and governance leading to devastating consequences for civilians across the entire region. The EU had to confront the climate crisis, racism and gender-based violence at the same time that it addressed the global health challenge, which presented provocative yet necessary discourse on the adequate safeguarding of human rights. Fortunately, the EU elaborated several action plans and commitments to address this myriad of challenges in 2020, but still lacks results and outcomes at the time of writing.
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    Regional developments in human rights and democratisation in South-East Europe during 2020
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Ivanović, Marija ; Castiglioni, Edoardo ; Dushi, Desara ; Bellaadem, Imane ; Henić, Ajla
    In South-East Europe (SEE), as in other countries across the world, the year 2020 was marked by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and attempts by governments to respond to it. The implementation of measures to protect citizens’ health implied the introduction of states of emergency and strict lockdowns that, in many cases, resulted in the curtailing of human rights and further weakening of the rule of law. This article provides insights from four SEE countries — namely, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo — and analyses to what extent the introduced measures met the threshold of legality, legitimacy, necessity and proportionality. The main finding of this paper is that incumbents across SEE used the state of emergency to concentrate power in their own hands, while at the same time sidelining parliaments and the judiciary and depriving vulnerable groups of their basic human rights. In summary, regional governments fared rather poorly when it came to respecting citizens’ rights and freedoms, especially in two important aspects: the proportionality and necessity of imposed measures.
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    Selected developments in human rights and democratisation in Africa during 2020
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Makunya, Trésor Muhindo ; Afoyomungu, Olum Lornah ; Azanu, Ruddy Fualefeh Morfaw ; Murden, Davina
    The unexpected outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on democracy, constitutionalism and human rights in Africa. Many executive and legislative officials used the pandemic as a powerful excuse to postpone elections without making significant efforts to seek consensus among affected stakeholders as required by human rights instruments. This descent towards tokenistic constitutionalism has gone hand in hand with two types of unconstitutional changes of government, namely the coup d’état in Mali and third-termism in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, which together show how the commitment to constitutionalism remains elusive in many countries. Meanwhile, the African Union human rights bodies swiftly devised alternative means to hold their sessions online as it became clear that physical meetings were not possible. The African Commission and the African Court made significant progress in fulfilling their mandates in 2020, for example by revising their rules of procedure to include cutting-edge issues and adopting soft law instruments. These instruments provided significant guidance to state parties in order for their COVID-19 related measures and actions to comply with the African Charter. This article highlights developments in human rights and democratisation in Africa during 2020. The article begins with a discussion of two forms of unconstitutional change of government sanctioned by the African Democracy Charter, before turning to trends in the postponement of elections in many African countries and their implications on constitutionalism. The article then discusses developments within the African Commission and the African Court. The article concludes by arguing that, while the African Commission and the African Court made significant efforts to find innovative ways to fulfil their human rights mandates amid the pandemic, a number of African countries descended into symbolic democracy and constitutionalism.
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    The Covid-19 impact: Key issues in the Asia Pacific region
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Barry, Coeli ; Sangroula, Geeta Pathak ; KC, Prapoosa ; Sta. Maria, Amparita
    The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated many existing human rights issues in the Asia Pacific region. Civil and political rights were often curtailed as public space was either fully closed to civil society voices or severely restricted and harshly policed. In countries in which democratic principles were already subject to being delegitimized or weakened, governments were able to further limit dissent and freedom expression. Disparities in education and governments’ difficulties in delivering reasonable quality education also became more pronounced. Vulnerable and marginalized groups were hit hard and were rendered least able to access support and services. Gender-based inequalities, already a pressing issue in many cross-cutting spheres, was likewise aggravated. Inter-governmental organizations were not generally focused on rights-based responses governance. For all the challenges the region faced, human rights defenders continue to advocate for justice and civil society organizations mobilize to address the impact of the pandemic.
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    The realisation of the right to social security during COVID-19 in Africa: Case studies of Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Mtsumi, Ashina ; Mabuza, Lihle ; Tonga, Benjamin ; Amoafo, Robert Akoto ; Macharia, Wilson
    The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and further exacerbated the inequalities that existed within states. The right to social security constituted a crucial part of the response to COVID-19 in various African states. This was premised on the recognition of the social cost associated with the pandemic, particularly the impact of lockdowns on populations. This paper interrogates how three African countries (Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa) fulfilled their obligations at the peak of the pandemic with respect to the right to social security. Contrary to what is often assumed, these countries made important strides in assisting households through the loss of livelihoods caused by the pandemic. However, our finding concluded that the informal sector (which is a major source of income) was not adequately addressed, nor were the needs of the most vulnerable sufficiently met. The countries did not have sufficiently comprehensive social security policies to respond effectively to the pandemic. African governments need to invest more money, time and human resources into strengthening the resilience of social security systems and addressing the persistent challenges of corruption, lack of proper planning, and absence of data which confront those who need help the most and prevent rationalisation of the debt burden.
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    The right to education in the Caucasus in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic
    (Global Campus Human Rights, 2021) Ghazinyan, Sergey ; Corzanego Khatounian, Ana Teresa ; Tatoueva, Christina ; Wojsyk, Jakub ; Gogueva, Zemfira
    This paper is intended to initiate an international discussion on the implementation of the right to education during the global healthcare crisis. For that purpose, it analyses the experiences of Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Belarus in the light of measures taken by the authorities to respond to the new challenges, and examines the concrete situation faced by children and teachers in the region. It aims to identify the most common and visible problems that occurred in the Caucasus region during the Covid-19 pandemic, based on available data from particular countries. For comprehensive analysis of the issue, the present paper discusses the right to education as defined in international law, and looks at the main challenges inherent in the four pillars of the right to education as framed by UNESCO: accessibility, availability, acceptability and adaptability of education. As sources of information, it considers the observations of relevant domestic and international stakeholders, including the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), UNESCO and UNICEF, as well as various academic sources. In each case, the response to issues generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is analysed in the context of other social factors. The article concludes that, while some examples of response could be seen in the countries under discussion, the lack of structured, informed, and timely responses made it difficult for children to fully enjoy their right to education. The paper provides recommendations targeted to the issues revealed, with the aim of improving state systems of response to the global healthcare crisis within the framework of implementing the right to education.