GC Human Rights Preparedness

As early as the 15^th century, the Republic of Venice vigorously attempted to curb the waves of plague pandemic by utilising, among other measures, preventive healthcare. While not a precursor to the right to health, the Venetian experience is of great historical significance.

Freedom of expression is in the eye of the storm created by the COVID-19 pandemic, clashing in particular with efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation that have been spreading online.

Refugees and asylum seekers face particular legal and practical obstacles in accessing the labour market. The proclaimed ‘right to work’ is of little help to them. Two Austrian labour market integration projects have created opportunities for apprenticeship training and employment.

There is a direct correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of violence against women in Mauritius. Domestic violence is a pandemic within the pandemic which often gets blurred out in discourse and policy. There is an urgent call for action to address this chaotic situation.

Restrictions introduced to protect public health at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic had devastating consequences for the access to sexual and reproductive health services around the world. Conservative governments have cynically used COVID-19 to restrict reproductive rights. Are there any positive developments that can give us hope?

COVID-19 school closures have put girls at increased risk of unintended pregnancies. This in turn puts them at increased risk of dropping out or being excluded from school. Article 10(c) CEDAW obliges States Parties to eliminate the gender stereotypes that block girls’ education rights.

People living with HIV can face difficulties in accessing HIV/AIDS treatments and services; restrictive measures adopted by states in combating the COVID-19 pandemic aggravate their circumstance. The impact of these measures poses a substantial threat to health systems and programmes designed to fast track the elimination of HIV/AIDS by 2030.