Human Rights In Fighting COVID-19

With Trump declaring a National Emergency it appears that the network evening news has been replaced with his bully pulpit. As you know in times of government control human rights are often trampled especially for those who are most at risk like our LGBTQ community. Thankfully the UN human rights treaty bodies have issued a joint statement calling for a human rights-based approach to fighting COVID-19. Hilary Gbedemah, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women stated, “No one should be denied health care because of stigma, or because they belong to a group that might be marginalized. States need to provide targeted support – including financial, social & fiscal - to those particularly affected, such as those without health insurance or social security. States must take active steps to ensure a sense of solidarity prevails, including through protection against racism & xenophobia or the growth of unbridled nationalism. These controls must be undertaken pursuant to a valid legal framework. In countries that declare a state of emergency, such a declaration must be exceptional & temporary, strictly necessary & justified due to a threat to the life of the nation. A state of emergency, or any other security measures, should be guided by human rights principles & should not, in any circumstances, be an excuse to quash dissent.” The UN human rights treaty bodies are the UN Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Committee Against Torture & its Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances & the Committee on Migrant Workers.
For More Info: un.org
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