IFM-SEI Statement Article on COVID-19 Lockdowns and Possible Threats to Human Rights
The world is going through a very challenging time currently due to the novel Corona Virus or COVID 19.
Life as we have known it has changed a lot for most of us. Somethings even might need to be adapted in the future until we find a solution on how to deal with COVID-19. COVID-19 is not a fiction but real, we must adopt the required measures to face it!
The capitalist system has proven to us today that all the investments that have been prioritized by the system were not taken to the right places. However, our values and principles are more assured during these days. It is giving us hope to keep fighting to actualize our ideological fight and span our world with friendship, education and equality.
In the meantime, while we are still on the battlefield, it is important that we do our best to stay safe physically and mentally. As much as lockdown is a very good step taken, there are however a lot of potential dangers to human and children’s rights during these lockdown periods and a lot of people are or may be prone to so many dangers while this period continues. It is important that we identify these possible threats and find a solution to them.
As an international Movement working to empower children and young people to fight for their rights, IFM-SEI is most especially concerned about the abuses children are likely to or maybe already facing as a result of the lockdown.
Right to Education
A very important right being abused in this lockdown is the right to education. Millions of children are currently home as schools have closed all across the globe making it impossible to access formal education in any way. In some countries, online education is provided for students at home and they are still able to access learning platforms. Unfortunately, this is not the case in some other countries especially in developing countries where there are no systems within the educational system to cater to the needs of students at such times. In most of these countries, access to the internet is very poor and if accessible is most likely very expensive. This situation completely hinders children’s right to education.
As an educational Movement, this brings a big question of how we can put our hundred years of non-formal education to use at a time like this and what our role is in education and filling the gap where institutions have failed. We have fought for hundreds of years for children to be involved in designing and developing their own education. On giving the children tools, skills and critical thinking to assess their own education and develop it further. IFM-SEI as a global educational Movement took the responsibility to ensure that children, especially in countries where we have member organizations, can access education. We need to come up with ways to fight for and enforce already existing ones to make sure children are not lacking in any way when it comes to education.
No Violence
A very worrying issue amid the lockdown now is a possible increase in child abuse from parents or caregivers. According to the WHO report on violence against children in June 2019, an estimated 1 billion children aged 2-17 experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect within 2018. Statistics also show that children experiencing violence across all stages of their childhood are most often at the hands of trusted individuals with whom they interact on a daily basis such as their parents and caregivers. Often, children are able to report abuses at home at their schools among other options. Sadly, with the ongoing lockdown situations, children living with abusive parents and caregivers are stuck in this very unsafe environment with no possible ways of escape as long as the lockdowns persist. Women living with abusive partners are also at very high risks during the lockdown and have no escape from them. Globally, calls to help centres on domestic violence have recorded sharp increments since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic. On 19th March, a woman was murdered in front of her children by her husband in Valencia. Amid all of this, it is very critical that strategies are put in place by governments, civil society organizations etc. to protect children and women living with abusive parents, guardians or spouses. States must enact policies and measures that make it possible to keep them safe from any forms of danger that may result from living in toxic environments.
Right to work
Another concerning matter is that the majority of workers whose livelihoods are from daily works are suffering from various issues; from having no homes, no access to good health care and the essentials needed to protect themselves against the virus. It has become clear that minority and marginalised groups will be the ones to bear the burden of the lack of needed necessities to keep themselves safe because they are in no position to provide for them.
In some countries where there is no free public health care system, the poor and vulnerable are faced with lack of treatment during ailment because they are not able to pay for it. Other minority groups such as LGBTQI, are also faced with challenges of access to healthcare due to stigma. That can pose a lot of danger and even death to such groups especially in this COVID-19 times. It is highly important that any kind of social and economic inequality likely to inhibit the wellbeing and safety of children and minority groups during this season is taken care of and that all people no matter their circumstance are not endangered in any way.
Migrants and Refugees
Ensuring safe habitats and protection against COVID-19 for migrants and refugees is also a very important concern. According to the WHO, there are an estimated 1 billion migrants in the world today of whom 258 million are international migrants and 763 million internal migrants. In Greece alone, more than 110,000 people currently live in migrant facilities across the country of whom 40,000 (including children) of them in overcrowded camps on five different islands. In such critical times, it is important that contingency measures are taken by governments, civil society and humanitarian agencies to make sure migrants and refugees find spacious accommodations to control the possible outbreak and spread of the virus. It is also important that they have access to basic essentials to protect themselves as well.
Finally, even though at the moment, the world is very much uncertain about a cure for the coronavirus and certain measures must be put in place such as lockdowns to curb its spread, it is also very important that we don’t lose sight of possible threats to human and children’s right abuses this may be causing. Together, we need to work towards ensuring all rights of every person.
Together, we need to keep fighting for our values and principles.
Education for social change!
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