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125 J.L. Pol'y & Globalization 1 (2022)

handle is hein.journals/jawpglob125 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization www.iistc -1 ISSN 2224-3240 (Paper) ISSN 2224-3259 (Online) Vol. 125, 2022 IISTE A Reflection on Security Agents' Human Rights Violations in the Enforcement of Covid-19 Measures Chrispin Mwinkyogtaa Kuupiel * Peter Claver Sutinga2 1. Centre for Conflict, Human Rights and Peace Studies, University of Education, Winneba, P. O. Box 25, Central Region, Ghana 2. Organizational Development, Department of Business and Economics, Atlantic International University, Pioneer Plaza, 900 Fort Street Mall #905, Honolulu, HI 96813 * E-mail of the corresponding author: chrispinkuupiel@gmail.com Abstract This paper reflects on security agents' response efforts throughout the Covid-19 period across the world. The aim of the paper is to draw the human rights excesses perpetrated by security forces across the world to stimulate rethinking of States' security, securitization, and policing policies as well as strategies in times of emergencies and pandemics. Data informing the discussion in the paper were drawn from secondary sources such as journal articles and online news portals. The discussion shows that various regimes of securitization characterized the pandemic period. The contention of the paper is that the enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions by security forces in some countries resulted in violations of several human rights. The way the enforcement of the pandemic measures was carried out impaired people's rights and their dignity. Hence, trauma may be one of the major challenging issues to deal with in the post-Covid-19 era. The paper contributes to the understanding of the interaction between security and human rights. Keywords: Security Agents, Human Rights, Violation, Covid-19, Enforcement DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/125-01 Publication date:October 31st 2022 Introduction This paper is an opinion piece. The paper highlights the violation of some basic human rights standards by security agents in some countries in their efforts to enforce the Covid-19 pandemic measures. The Covid-19 virus which broke out in the Wuhan city of China, spread throughout the world resulting in millions of deaths. The pandemic has changed the world and all spheres of life (Sutinga & Nangwele, 2022) and proven how interconnected the world has become. The virus has also revealed that whatever one's race, gender, status, etc., everyone remains vulnerable. The consequences of Covid-19 have been very dire. Economies crashed, businesses collapsed, people lost their jobs (Jackson et al., 2020 Ozili & Arun, 2020), religious activities have been seriously impacted (Sutinga & Nangwele, 2022; Kowalczyk, et al., 2020; Pillay, 2020; Sulkowski & Ignatowski, 2020; Yasin, et al., 2020; Shibambu & Egunjobi, 2020), human lives have been loss (WHO, 2020), and livelihoods have been threatened. Fear, panic, suspicion, mistrust, and apprehension grew among populations, and many countries became more vulnerable to security breaches. Governments and States across the world responded to the spread of the virus through several restrictive measures, including lockdowns, quarantines, stay-at-home orders, social distancing directives, closing of borders, inter alia. To ensure the effectiveness of these covid-19 restrictive measures, governments deployed security agents to enforce the measures. Meanwhile, it is argued that our ability to fight and conquer the virus and recover from it is dependent on our respect for human rights (OHCHR, 2020) and fundamental freedoms. Response efforts need to be legal, proportionate, strictly necessary, driven by scientific evidence, not arbitrary or nondiscriminatory, respectful of human dignity, as well as subject to review, and tailored to achieve the pandemic objective (UNAIDS, 2020; UN, 2020; Human Rights Watch, 2020). Thus, the questions to be asked include: Were security agents' response efforts during the pandemic period legal, proportionate, non arbitrary or discriminatory, driven by scientific evidence and meant to achieve the pandemic objective? Did security agents' response efforts respect human rights? We need human rights to fight and overcome the pandemic. Their observance - providing people with good food, water and shelter; accessible and affordable healthcare; timely, accurate and accessible information; and respecting people's dignity, is not only important but also necessary if we want to overcome the virus and to come out from it successfully, stronger and prepared for the future. The United Nations indicated that response efforts that are shaped or informed by human rights put people at the center and yields better outcomes and that in this pandemic period, every human right matters and is needed to navigate the crisis (UN, 2020, p. 2). This paper believes that the promotion or protection of people's health unfolds from and enfolds in the respect, promotion and protection of human rights. The promotion of people's health and human rights are mutually reinforcing and supportive of each other. The observance of human rights is the promotion of the health of people and the promotion of people's health is the observance of 1

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