Na današnji dan, 10. prosinca, obiliježavamo Međunarodni dan ljudskih prava, koji je stekao posebnu važnost u kontekstu svjetske krize.

Kraj 2019. godine i cijela 2020. godina su postale prekretnica za cijelo čovječanstvo. Morali smo se prilagoditi novim standardima. Nošenje maski, držanje razmaka, izolacija, nemogućnost da zagrlimo svoje rođake tokom zatvaranja kako im ne bi ugrozili život, ograničenje slobode putovanja i slobode izražavanja. Sve su to neugodne posljedice pandemije COVID-19, ali one nisu najgore.

COVID-19 je izložio ogroman broj ljudi novim okolnostima. Različite društvene skupine pokušavaju preživjeti pandemiju na različite načine. Oni koji se bave malim i srednjim poduzetništvom doživljavaju značajan ekonomski pad ili prisiljeni su zatvoriti svoja poduzeća. Oni čiji posao je bio izravno povezan s radom s ljudima su ga izgubili, a time izgubili i izvor prihoda.

Ali tko je najviše pogođen pandemijom COVID-19?

Siromašni ljudi, koji žive i rade u uvjetima koji otežavaju zaštitu od virusa. To su pripadnici rasnih, nacionalnih i vjerskih manjina. Njihov život je već otežan rasizmom. To su također stariji ljudi, posebno oni koji su smješteni u staračkim domovima. Često se njihovo dostojanstvo i prava ne poštuju.

COVID-19 i zatvaranje su također pogodili žene i djecu koji ostaju kod kuće. U pravilu se dom povezuje s sigurnošću, toplinom i pozitivnim osjećajima, ali često je situacija potpuno suprotna. Prema Ujedinjenim narodima, žene i djevojke širom svijeta prijavljuju slučajeve seksualnog nasilja i zlostavljanja. Većina njih se nalazi u ranjivom stanju, uključujući žene s invaliditetom, migrantice i žene na selu. Stručnjaci upozoravaju da će složeni učinci COVID-19 u tim, sukobima pogođenim, okruženjima povećati stope ostalih oblika nasilja nad ženama i seksualnog iskorištavanja.

Djeca su također pogođena pandemijom. Prema podacima Ujedinjenih naroda pandemija je negativno utjecala na pristup obrazovanju za više od 90% djece širom svijeta. Manje je vjerojatno da će djevojke koje nisu pohađale školu tokom pandemije nastaviti obrazovanje. Postoji vjerojatnost da se oko 7,6 milijuna djevojčica, od predškolske do srednješkolske dobi, neće vratiti u škole. Osim toga, takve djevojke su izložene dodatnom riziku od dječjeg braka i trudnoće.

Drugim riječima, oni čiji su glasovi ne čuju i čiji interesi se rijetko uzimaju u obzir, najviše su izloženi zdravstvenim i društvenim posljedicama COVID-19.

U travnju 2020. godine u Sjevernoj Makedoniji je došlo do tragičnog slučaja prilikom kojeg liječnici nisu pomogli trudnoj Romkinji, i to zbog panike i diskriminacije. Pukao joj je vodenjak i ona je došla u ginekološku kliniku na pregled. Međutim, u bolnici su joj rekli da još nije spremna za porođa te je upućena kući bez da joj je pružena pomoć. Nakon toga se vraćala u bolnicu još nekoliko puta i tek kad je bol bio nepodnošljiv, liječnici su joj pomogli, ali bilo je prekasno. Njezino dijete je već umrlo, a žena je razvila komplikacije i također je umrla. Njezina dvoje djece su izgubila majku i ostali su na brigu ocu. Ovo je primjer potpune neodgovornosti i kršenja ljudskih prava kao posljedica COVID-19 i socijalne isključenosti.

Slučaj vezan za COVID-19, o kome smo ranije izvještavali, zabilježen je u Bugarskoj. Dva stručnjaka Ujedinjenih naroda za ljudska prava pozvali su Vladu Bugarske da zaustavi govor mržnje i rasnu diskriminaciju usmjerenu protiv romske nacionalne manjine koja se provodi pod izgovorom poduzimanja mjera u borbi protiv COVID-19 i da, dok traje pandemija, zaustavi policijske akcije usmjerene na romska naselja. “Rasna diskriminacija i rasizam unutar državnih institucija su stvarnost koju vlade ne bi trebale negirati. Bugarske vlasti moraju osuditi ovakvo i svako slično ponašanje prema Romima i drugim nacionalnim manjinama", zaključili su stručnjaci za ljudska prava.

Istraživanje pokazuje da su ljudi s nižim prihodima, koji žive u siromašnim područjima, izloženiji pandemiji COVID-19 nego ljudi koji žive u bogatijim četvrtima. U pravilu su u siromašnim područjima dućani i bolnice manji, a kvaliteta usluga je lošija. Zbog toga što je broj dućana i bolnica ograničen, koncentracija ljudi je veća, što povećava rizik zaraze. U takvim područjima ljudi češće koriste javni prijevoz, što također povećava mogućnosti za širenje zaraze.

Tokom pandemije COVID-19 smo se svi nalazili i još uvijek se nalazimo u nepovoljnoj situaciji, posebno oni koji žive u izoliranim naseljima. Pogoršanje opće situacije u odnosu na ljudska prava Roma je izravna posljedica pandemije. Romi pate ne samo zbog loše medicinske pomoći i nedostatka zdravstvenog osiguranja, već i zbog aktivnosti i politike, ili njihovog izostanka, različitih državnih institucija. Romi su gurnuti u stranu, a životni uvjeti Roma se dvostruko gori.

„Pasivno možemo promatrati kako nejednakosti i frustracije rastu… Ili možemo priznati potrebu za zajedničkim radom i izgraditi bolje paradigme, u kojima je svjetska solidarnost vrijednost u interesu svake države, a napredak prema općoj zdravstvenoj zaštiti, općoj društvenoj zaštiti i ostalim temeljnim ljudskim pravima se ne smatra troškovima, nego ulaganjima u pravdu za sve."

Michelle Bachelet, Visoka povjerenice UN-a za ljudska prava

Trebali bismo podržati izjavu Michelle Bachelet i zauzeti se za zaštitu ljudskih prava kako bismo poboljšali život svih ljudi.

 

 

Today on December 10-th it is the International Day of Human Rights, which we all should remember about, especially in the past year.

The end of 2019 and the whole 2020 have become a dramatic period for the whole humanity. Our lives have been modified to the new standards. Wearing masks, keeping distance, being isolated, not being able to hug your beloved ones during quarantine in  order to save their lives, having no freedom to travel and freedom of expression etc. All of those are the effects of Covid-19, but not the worst consequences.

Covid-19 exposes a huge number of people to new conditions. Different social groups manage to survive in different ways. Those who own private businesses whether experience the economical decrease or have to close the business at all. Those people whose work has a direct connection with being in public are forced to quit their jobs, which means they have no income.

But who is affected by Covid-19 the most?

Poor people, who are more likely to live and work in conditions which make it impossible to shield from the virus. Those are members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities. Their rights are already obstructed by racism. Older people, especially those housed in collective care-homes. In many cases their dignity and rights are not fully upheld. 

Another effect of Covid-19 and quarantine is experienced by women and children who stay at home. Usually home is associated with something safe, warm and positive, but in many cases it is a complete opposite. According to the United Nations, all over the world women and girls are reporting the cases of sexual violence and harassment. Most of them are already in vulnerable situations, including women living with disabilities, migrants and rural women. Experts have reported that the compounded effects of Covid-19 in these conflict settings will increase the rates of other forms of sex-based violence and sexual exploitation.

If we talk about children, they have been affected as well. According to the United Nations, access to education has been severally disrupted by Covid-19, which affected around 90% of children worldwide. Without going to school girls are less likely to continue studying and they face additional risk of child marriage and pregnancy. Approximately 7.6 million girls from pre-primary to secondary school may not return to school.

In other words, people whose voices are silenced – and whose interests are rarely served by the political and economic processes in their societies – are those who are worst harmed by the medical and social impacts of Covid-19.

In April 2020 there was a case in North Macedonia, when a pregnant Roma woman was not helped by doctors because of Covid-19 panic and discrimination. Her waters broke and she came to the hospital for a check, she was told it was not the time and she had to come back later. She came back a few times more and only at the last moment when the pain was unbearable, doctors helped her, but it was too late. Her child had already died and later she had complications and unfortunately the woman died as well. Her two kids lost their mother and were left for the care of their father. This shows a complete irresponsibility and violation of Human Rights as a result of Covid-19 and social exclusion.

Another case was reported from Bulgaria. Two United Nations Human Rights experts called on the Government of Bulgaria to stop hate speech and racial discrimination against the Roma minority in its response to Covid-19, and halt police operations targeting Roma neighborhoods during the pandemic. “Racial discrimination and racism within state institutions is a reality that Governments should not deny. The Bulgarian authorities must condemn this and any other conduct that targets Roma and other minorities on an ethnic or related basis,” the human rights experts concluded.

The research shows that people with low income who live in poor areas are more exposed to Covid-19 than people who live in richer neighborhoods. Usually in poor areas the shops and hospitals are very small and the quality of service is worse. As the number of shops and hospitals is limited, there are many people concentrated in those places, which makes the possibility of being infected higher. In such areas people are more likely to use public transport, which also creates more conditions for being infected.

During Covid-19 all people suffered and continue suffering, especially those who live in isolated settlements. General situation of Human Rights of Roma people became worse as a direct result of Covid-19. Roma suffer not only from a poor medical help, having no medical insurance, but also from the activities and polices of different institutions. Roma are pushed aside and bad conditions are doubled.

“We can watch, passively, as inequalities soar and grievances deepen ... Or we can grasp the need to work together, and build back better paradigms, in which global solidarity is seen as a value in the interests of every State, and progress towards universal health care, universal social protection and other fundamental human rights are seen, not as costs, but as investments in justice for all.”

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Finally, we should support the statement of Michelle Bachelet and stand up together for the protection of Human Rights in order to make life of all people better.