EFPA Board Human Rights and Psychology Newsletter
Year 4 Edition 3 – March 2020 

Dear colleagues,
The third edition of the 2020 Newsletter of the EFPA Board Human Rights and Psychology, is mostly dedicated to Human rights in times of Corona; also, this month to two international days: International Women’s Day on March 8 and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21.

This Newsletter may be distributed, e.g., sent to your association.
The files of this Newsletter can be found on the EFPA site: http://human-rights.efpa.eu/introduction/newsletter-march-2020/
Please send your articles or comments to polli.hagenaars@gmail.com

 

Human rights in a time of Corona

We are worried about the ongoing corona crisis. We are worried about our loved-ones, about people around us, and about of those in vulnerable situations. We think about the refugees in Syria, at the Turkish borders, at the Mexican/US borders and elsewhere, of those on the move, of people ‘sans papiers’, and in the many refugee camps, in particular camps with subhuman standards, such as the Moria camp. We think of the homeless and the stateless; of children in need of getting away from their home environment, and those separated from their good and stable caretakers outside their homes, not being able to follow quality education; of elderly deprived from their caring families and friends; of the health care-takers working day and night. We think about regions where persons are deprived of necessary medical health provisions, where they may be suffering already from the terrible consequences of hurricanes, fires or floods; or of the countries in southern Europe struggling with the cut back on health care spending during the Eurozone debt crisis. And we are worried about the discrimination we see towards people from certain countries from where the virus seemed to have originated [1].

  • Basic human rights in situations of emergency

(Nora Sveaass)

In situations of emergency and crisis there is a need for measures and arrangements set up for the common good, including altering and setting limitations to what is considered regular rights and routines in our daily lives. Emergencies may therefore give rise to situations where basic human rights are under pressure, or even disrespected over and beyond what seems necessary, reasonable and proportional to the situation in hand. The kind of emergency situations that we may encounter are many – armed conflict, terror, natural disasters, major accidents with severe environmental consequences or pandemics. In all the instances good governance is to protect, ensure safety and security and prevent escalation of the crisis, whatever it may be. To this end, both international and national legislation contain guidelines in relation to regulating the behaviour, rights and security of the population. On the one hand we have the balancing act between what is necessary in order to stop, contain and prevent, in this case an aggressive and fast spreading virus, and on the other, what may seem unjustified in this process regarding rights and safeguards. In this context, we may speak about derogable and non-derogable rights. The derogable rights are those that under exceptional situations amounting to a public emergency, may be set aside, as measures of temporary nature. Examples of this is what is now happening in most places, serious reduction in movement, access to work, school, regular health care, even deprivation of liberty for limited time, e.g. quarantines. The need to derogate rights in emergencies and the conditions laid down for such enforcement are elaborated in the documents referred to below[2], [3]. What may not be set aside are the so-called non-derogable rights, such as the right not to be tortured. This is clearly expressed in article 2 of the UN Convention Against Torture, which reads:  “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture”.[4]

A particular attention must be given to those who already find themselves in deprived situations, such as persons detained in prisons, in involuntary psychiatric treatment, in closed migration centres and other facilities where individuals are not allowed to leave. In situations of emergency, there is a risk that their regular rights and the few benefits they enjoy may be further limited, including contact with family, work, training, health care etc. To reinforce this attention and as guidance to those who are engaged in monitoring of these places, such as the National Preventive Mechanisms, the two international bodies dedicated to the prevention of torture, have issued important statements in relation to this. The UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture issued a statement regarding compulsory quarantine for Coronavirus in February [5], and is now expanding on this issue in an upcoming document. Likewise, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the European Council, issued a statement of principles on March 20[6]. Both documents represent useful guidelines and awareness raising input.

Emergencies are challenging times, and there is a need for collaboration and solidarity in order to deal with the difficulties implied. But the democratic principles, transparency and information must never be set aside, and it is our duty also to keep a clear focus on this and include the many who, from very different and highly vulnerable situations, as mentioned above, may, through emergency measures be even more vulnerable, marginalized or forgotten than before the exceptional circumstances were declared. A good summary of the situation we are in, and the role of human rights is provided by Michael O’Flaherty, the Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, in this video https://fra.europa.eu/en/video/2020/video-blog-michael-oflaherty-corona-virus.

  • Vulnerable groups, like elderly people, refugees, children.

A Canadian colleague wrote: ‘Like many others at the present time, I am quite consumed with the effects the COVID-19 is having. Yet, I am mostly worried about the life of many vulnerable groups. At this time in particular, I am concerned about those individuals who depend on informal care for their day to day living and dignity, especially the case of older adults in assisted care who are in a lockdown housing complex.’ ‘I would hope that one of the areas to examine would be the right to have access to professional psychological support during this type of crisis. Given some of our (Lynne Gouliquer and I’s) recent research with ageing people, on the one hand, and with informal care givers on the other, when I voice my concern, it is about these two groups that I am thinking, but there are many others (e.g., individuals living in refugee camps, survivors of floods or earth quake). It seems to me that there is a lot to do on these fronts, especially as demographics of our population ages’.

Worth reading:

Coping with stress

Call for actions and initiatives:

Message to people on the run.

“We do not know you. But we follow you and are deeply concerned about your well-being. We know you had no choice other than to leave. We cannot fully understand nor feel where you are going through. You are fighting for your lives and your loved ones. We can only imagine what tremendous effort it takes to go on. Our humanity is intertwined with yours. We know if we allow people to de-humanize you, we dehumanize ourselves. We do not want that. What can we do? And what can you do? We inviting you to share your story. You need someone to listen to your plight, your sorrows and your thoughts. Speak up and let the world know about you.”

Please share your suggestions and good initiatives!

[1] Trump: “Chinese virus,” (NYT, March 19)

[2] Guide on Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights Derogation in time of emergency https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Guide_Art_15_ENG.pdf

[3] CCPR General Comment No. 29: Article 4: Derogations during a State of Emergency. https://www.refworld.org/docid/453883fd1f.html

[4] https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cat.aspx

[5] https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/OPCAT/NPM/2020.03.03-Advice_UK_NPM.pdf

[6] https://rm.coe.int/16809cfa4b

EFPA Board Human Rights and Psychology Newsletter

Year 4 Edition 3 – March 2020 

Dear colleagues,

The third edition of the 2020 Newsletter of the EFPA Board Human Rights and Psychology, is mostly dedicated to Human rights in times of Corona; also, this month to two international days: International Women’s Day on March 8 and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21.

This Newsletter may be distributed, e.g., sent to your association.

The files of this Newsletter can be found on the EFPA site: http://human-rights.efpa.eu/introduction/newsletter-march-2020/

Please send your articles or comments to polli.hagenaars@gmail.com

Human rights in a time of Corona

We are worried about the ongoing corona crisis. We are worried about our loved-ones, about people around us, and about of those in vulnerable situations. We think about the refugees in Syria, at the Turkish borders, at the Mexican/US borders and elsewhere, of those on the move, of people ‘sans papiers’, and in the many refugee camps, in particular camps with subhuman standards, such as the Moria camp. We think of the homeless and the stateless; of children in need of getting away from their home environment, and those separated from their good and stable caretakers outside their homes, not being able to follow quality education; of elderly deprived from their caring families and friends; of the health care-takers working day and night. We think about regions where persons are deprived of necessary medical health provisions, where they may be suffering already from the terrible consequences of hurricanes, fires or floods; or of the countries in southern Europe struggling with the cut back on health care spending during the Eurozone debt crisis. And we are worried about the discrimination we see towards people from certain countries from where the virus seemed to have originated [1].

  • Basic human rights in situations of emergency

(Nora Sveaass)

In situations of emergency and crisis there is a need for measures and arrangements set up for the common good, including altering and setting limitations to what is considered regular rights and routines in our daily lives. Emergencies may therefore give rise to situations where basic human rights are under pressure, or even disrespected over and beyond what seems necessary, reasonable and proportional to the situation in hand. The kind of emergency situations that we may encounter are many – armed conflict, terror, natural disasters, major accidents with severe environmental consequences or pandemics. In all the instances good governance is to protect, ensure safety and security and prevent escalation of the crisis, whatever it may be. To this end, both international and national legislation contain guidelines in relation to regulating the behaviour, rights and security of the population. On the one hand we have the balancing act between what is necessary in order to stop, contain and prevent, in this case an aggressive and fast spreading virus, and on the other, what may seem unjustified in this process regarding rights and safeguards. In this context, we may speak about derogable and non-derogable rights. The derogable rights are those that under exceptional situations amounting to a public emergency, may be set aside, as measures of temporary nature. Examples of this is what is now happening in most places, serious reduction in movement, access to work, school, regular health care, even deprivation of liberty for limited time, e.g. quarantines. The need to derogate rights in emergencies and the conditions laid down for such enforcement are elaborated in the documents referred to below[2], [3]. What may not be set aside are the so-called non-derogable rights, such as the right not to be tortured. This is clearly expressed in article 2 of the UN Convention Against Torture, which reads:  “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture”.[4]

A particular attention must be given to those who already find themselves in deprived situations, such as persons detained in prisons, in involuntary psychiatric treatment, in closed migration centres and other facilities where individuals are not allowed to leave. In situations of emergency, there is a risk that their regular rights and the few benefits they enjoy may be further limited, including contact with family, work, training, health care etc. To reinforce this attention and as guidance to those who are engaged in monitoring of these places, such as the National Preventive Mechanisms, the two international bodies dedicated to the prevention of torture, have issued important statements in relation to this. The UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture issued a statement regarding compulsory quarantine for Coronavirus in February [5], and is now expanding on this issue in an upcoming document. Likewise, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the European Council, issued a statement of principles on March 20[6]. Both documents represent useful guidelines and awareness raising input.

Emergencies are challenging times, and there is a need for collaboration and solidarity in order to deal with the difficulties implied. But the democratic principles, transparency and information must never be set aside, and it is our duty also to keep a clear focus on this and include the many who, from very different and highly vulnerable situations, as mentioned above, may, through emergency measures be even more vulnerable, marginalized or forgotten than before the exceptional circumstances were declared. A good summary of the situation we are in, and the role of human rights is provided by Michael O’Flaherty, the Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, in this video https://fra.europa.eu/en/video/2020/video-blog-michael-oflaherty-corona-virus.

  • Vulnerable groups, like elderly people, refugees, children.

A Canadian colleague wrote: ‘Like many others at the present time, I am quite consumed with the effects the COVID-19 is having. Yet, I am mostly worried about the life of many vulnerable groups. At this time in particular, I am concerned about those individuals who depend on informal care for their day to day living and dignity, especially the case of older adults in assisted care who are in a lockdown housing complex.’ ‘I would hope that one of the areas to examine would be the right to have access to professional psychological support during this type of crisis. Given some of our (Lynne Gouliquer and I’s) recent research with ageing people, on the one hand, and with informal care givers on the other, when I voice my concern, it is about these two groups that I am thinking, but there are many others (e.g., individuals living in refugee camps, survivors of floods or earth quake). It seems to me that there is a lot to do on these fronts, especially as demographics of our population ages’.

Worth reading:

Coping with stress

Call for actions and initiatives:

Message to people on the run.

“We do not know you. But we follow you and are deeply concerned about your well-being. We know you had no choice other than to leave. We cannot fully understand nor feel where you are going through. You are fighting for your lives and your loved ones. We can only imagine what tremendous effort it takes to go on. Our humanity is intertwined with yours. We know if we allow people to de-humanize you, we dehumanize ourselves. We do not want that. What can we do? And what can you do? We inviting you to share your story. You need someone to listen to your plight, your sorrows and your thoughts. Speak up and let the world know about you.”

Please share your suggestions and good initiatives!

[1] Trump: “Chinese virus,” (NYT, March 19)

[2] Guide on Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights Derogation in time of emergency https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Guide_Art_15_ENG.pdf

[3] CCPR General Comment No. 29: Article 4: Derogations during a State of Emergency. https://www.refworld.org/docid/453883fd1f.html

[4] https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cat.aspx

[5] https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/OPCAT/NPM/2020.03.03-Advice_UK_NPM.pdf

[6] https://rm.coe.int/16809cfa4b

A Guide To Introduction

Acknowledgments

In this case the set of sections that come before the body of the book are known as the front matter.

Forewords

When the book is divided into numbered chapters, by convention the introduction and any other front-matter sections are unnumbered.

Abstract

Keeping the concept of the introduction the same, different documents have different styles to introduce the written text.

Preface

If a Userguide is written, the introduction is about the product. In a report, the introduction gives a summary about the report contents.