Equality and Non-Discrimination

The COVID-19 pandemic was a large-scale human disaster on all fronts. It is worth identifying four structural defects in the governance response, ten lessons that need to be imbibed and a five point agenda for change.

COVID-19 exacerbated prevailing structural power inequalities and worsened fundamental human rights of vulnerable groups. Three sets of priorities are identified for the future. They concern ‘old normal’ prevention, lessons sharing, and mobilisation promotion, in order to advance rights-based changes.

Haitian migration to the Dominican Republic has been marked by a long history of inequalities and human rights violations. Construction of a 160km wall dividing the two countries is the latest physical manifestation of the barriers this immigrant population faces.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, religious minorities suffered limitations on their religious rights. Due to such limitations, religious minorities lost what is called the ‘collective effervescence’ of their rituals and started transitioning to a new religious digitalization.

Overweight people can experience discrimination in many settings including healthcare. The World Health Organisation is calling for a de-stigmatising approach in public policies to address obesity. How can human rights law help?

Victims of human rights violations are often reduced to numbers while their pain and suffering remain unreflected. Novels such as The Kite Runner resist against this treason to truth. Through a generalisable example, real or fictious storytelling brings to the reader the mostly unrecognised identity of victims as well as the experience of their challenges.

European solidarity towards people fleeing the war in Ukraine exposes discriminatory treatment of other asylum seekers. The decision to activate the Temporary Protection Mechanism to provide immediate protection to Ukrainian refugees shows that when there is political will, another approach is possible.

In this photo essay, I have tried to document the stories of some of those who had migrated to big cities in India and got trapped due to a COVID-19 lockdown.

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has highlighted the relationship between global health law and human rights. However, a recent court case in Kenya reveals the intrinsic link between inequalities and economic concerns capable of limiting national and international rights standards.

Mandatory vaccination interferes with personal integrity but may be necessary to safeguard public health. However, states must consider all relevant factors in context and ensure such policies do not place disproportionate burdens on those hesitant about vaccination.