The Canadian Human Rights Commission shares some emerging challenges impacting people living in vulnerable circumstances as we work together to flatten the curve: including people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, children, people in housing need or facing food insecurity, women and children fleeing violence, single parents, LGBTQ2I Community, Canadians needing medical treatment, the Elderly, people in correctional institutions.
Marie-CLaude Landry, Chief Commissioner writes:
“While social distancing, self-isolation, and quarantining are essential to flattening the curve, we must recognize that these measures create unintended and disproportionate consequences for people living in vulnerable circumstances. As the current situation evolves, the number of people put in vulnerable circumstances will grow. The rights and needs of these people cannot be forgotten or ignored…We must ensure that we strike the appropriate balance between protecting public health and safety and respecting human rights.”
Download this statement from the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
How to use this resource:
- Facilitate discussion about inequality is being amplified by the COVID-19 crisis and the implications for different groups and populations.
- Explore how human rights can provide an overarching framework for COVID-19 response, addressing what should and should not be done to ensure no one will be left behind.
- Explore how the right to health is inextricably linked to respect for all other rights.