Hi John,
The world is a very uncertain place right now, and we want to let you know our thoughts are with you and your loved ones. It gives us hope to see people coming together and standing strong for humanity, for compassion and for empathy.
As COVID-19 spreads, its impact is being felt throughout the world. For many of us this means staying indoors, away from friends and loved ones. But for the most vulnerable in our societies, its effects are much worse and still often unclear. Those at threat from domestic violence are more at risk. How workers claim their rights to sick and redundancy pay is still being decided. And children from low income families are at risk of missing meals when schools close.
This is a human rights crisis in the most immediate sense. The UK government will soon introduce new measures to address this emergency. It’s vital that human rights are at their centre of any changes it makes – and we’ll be there, every step of the way, to make sure this happens.
In the coming weeks and days we will be monitoring developments from a human rights perspective, as well as continuing to work on protecting irregular migrants and the most vulnerable. We will monitor any actions that governments are taking here and elsewhere in the world, including the introduction of emergency powers.
You can read more about our view on the impact that the government response to the disease could have on human rights and what should be done about it here.
Whilst we see stories of increased incidents of racism, we also see how communities support one another. Through individual and collective acts of kindness, people are coming together - whether that’s looking out for elderly neighbours or mass applause to demonstrate appreciation to health workers.
The ways we have to work may be different. But together we will keep standing with each other. We will be here to ensure that human rights are protected. Together, we will get through this.
We’ll keep fighting for the most vulnerable, who we know are going to be most affected by this outbreak. Like many not-for-profit organisations, some of our fundraising has been affected - events are postponed, our book shops are closed and other fundraising activities have been halted in the interests of the health of our staff, volunteers and the public. If you are able to help, please make a donation today and help the fight for humanity and human rights continue.
We're still here to help. While our office is closed you can still get in touch through our website, email or social media channels.
Thank you for your ongoing support,
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