The Covid-19 crisis has affected almost every aspect of human life and society around the globe. While the economic costs are already felt, the impact in other areas will take months, perhaps years, to be felt and fully measured. It has, however, exposed many fault lines and generated intense debate on human rights and democracy. Human rights originated in the enlightenment era with philosophers like John Locke arguing individuals have inalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, which cannot be infringed by the state. Called initially natural rights, these rights formed bedrock of modern states. These ideas in the 21st century led to the envisioning of a world in which the security of individuals is prioritized over the security of borders and military powers. With its seven dimensions of interrelated security economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, and political security, human security heralded a period in which human rights and wellbeing of the individual were prioritized. The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals aimed at promoting human rights and security throughout the world. However, the rise of civil wars or intrastate conflicts in the post-Cold War period and the rising assertiveness of authoritarian states, besides the issues of poverty and underdevelopment, undermined these goals. There appeared a movement of contradictory forces while the ideas of democracy, human rights, and human security were gaining ground and becoming popular, the rise of authoritarian states and illiberal democracies undermined democratic ideals.
This has become more apparent during the current crisis. State actions to address coronavirus have undermined human rights and democracy. Emergency powers acquired by the states to provide security to the people have actually undermined the security of the very people. While measures like lockdown and social distancing have been used to address the pandemic, they have become tools of repression by authoritarian states. The measures of lockdown, complete or partial, have sparked protests and criticism in democratic states like the United States.
This is, however, not happening globally. The democratic states are open to public scrutiny and accountability. The authoritarian states evade any such accountability. Instead, during this crisis, the authoritarian states and illiberal democracies have acquired unbridled powers. They have forcibly quarantined people and adopted coercive measures such as flogging and even given orders for shoot-at-sight for the violators. They have also largely failed in providing basic healthcare facilities or the necessities of life to the suffering people during this time. However, there is no visible public unrest in these states. While democratic states fail, they fail in the public glare, and the leaders of these states, being accountable to citizens, may confront harsh criticism, the authoritarian states enjoy unbridled power and their leaders remain above public scrutiny. While leaders of the democracies are accountable and face regular elections, the authoritarian state leaders face no elections or face sham elections.
The crisis demands global cooperation. Instead of coordinating policies to address the crisis, some authoritarian states have actually distanced from any such ideas. China’s dismissal of any international investigation into the origin of the virus, which led to the loss of thousands of lives and put human security in jeopardy all over the world, is a reflection of this trend. The social distancing needed to stop the spread of the virus has translated into the behavior of states and turned into non-cooperation and political distancing. In fact, contrary trends have emerged. Some states have indulged in a misinformation campaign and tried to turn this global catastrophe as a political tool to their advantage. In the midst of this crisis, the South China Sea has seen increasing militarization. While the post-Cold War globalized world brought us a promise of a better world as the ideological battle ended, the recent developments display pessimistic signs. Psychologist Steven Pinker’s optimism that a peaceful world is our 21st-century right is appearing distant. The polarization among states has increased, and a new Cold War is often talked about. At a broader plane, to adapt the phrase of Samuel Huntington, the coming years may see a clash of ideas and practices of democracy and authoritarianism. In this clash, human rights and security will be the wagers. The Human Rights Commission has strongly commended the government’s response to Covid-19 but says more could be done to ensure the Treaty of Waitangi and human rights is at the centre of decision and policy making.
The report found difficulties accessing PPE in some areas meant some disabled people and support workers halted their work arrangements to reduce the risk of exposure. Access to justice was also an issue, with the Human Rights Review Tribunal closed under alert level 4. This meant vulnerable groups – such as victims of racial abuse or sexual assault – could not access justice. The report found people held in prisons, police cells and secure mental health units were essentially locked out from the rest of the world. The commission said this meant their right to be cared for and protected could have been compromised because they could not have access independent monitoring agencies. The report found that of the several Covid-19 surveys conducted by the government, only one mentioned disabled people. It said without any comprehensive data on disabled people, the country could not know the full extent of how that community had been impacted by the pandemic. Police and social services have reported an increase in family violence situations, in which Maori, disabled people and the rainbow community feature heavily. The report found a low number of family violence arrests were undertaken during alert level 4, which could indicate police had not been arresting people when necessary.
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt said putting human rights and the Treaty of Waitangi at the centre of the Covid-19 response was vital. Honouring te Tiriti and human rights commitments is vital to ensure an effective response to Covid-19, he said. Human rights would not provide magic solutions to grave crises, he said, but did have a constructive contribution to make. They embodied values the importance of partner- ship, participation, protection, safety, dignity, decency, fairness, freedom, equality, respect, wellbeing, community, and responsibility. Ensuring human rights and treaty-based partnership across the government’s Covid-19 response was among many of the commission’s recommendations.
Our response to this pandemic must encompass and in fact, focus on those whom society often neglects or relegates to a lesser status. Otherwise, it will fail. The health of every person is linked to the health of the most marginalized members of the community,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged in mid-March. Without sufficient resources to protect themselves from health risks, access healthcare or pay for essential goods, many will find themselves in precarious situations. With the alarming loss of jobs across the world, the number of people in such situations will inevitably be on the rise. This Academy session will spotlight actions companies can take to support human rights and join in the fight against covid-19.Through best practice examples and insights from human rights experts, session attendees will learn how business can play a key role and stand up for the most vulnerable and marginalized both during this pandemic and beyond.
(Rayhan Ahmed Topader is a writer and columnist. He can be reached at [email protected])
