Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals’ human rights in the Caribbean in myriad ways, examined here for Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. A holistic rights-based governmental response is necessary to safeguard both civil and political rights, as well as social and economic rights. The interdependence between, and indivisibility of, both sets of rights becomes evident in the context of the pandemic as well as the scope of the state’s positive obligation to secure the welfare of those most vulnerable, including the poor, unemployed, criminals and refugees. Specific aspects of the governmental responses in the region indicate the diversity in approaches to these issues and the extent to which these key obligations were fulfilled or were still to be specified.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amnesty International. (2020a, August 6). Trinidad and Tobago: Deportation of 165 Venezuelans Violates International Law. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/08/trinidad-tobago-deportation-165-venezuelans-violates-international-law/
Amnesty International. (2020b, November 25). Open Letter to Dr Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago: Return of Deported Children Gives Your Government a Second Chance. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/11/trinidad-tobago-return-deported-children-second-chance/
Amon, J. (2020). COVID-19 and Detention: Respecting Human Rights. Health and Human Rights Journal, 22(1), 367–370.
Barak, A. (2012). Proportionality: Constitutional Rights and Their Limitations. Cambridge University Press.
Campbell, Y. (2020). Citizenship on the Margins: State Power, Security and Precariousness in 21st Century Jamaica. Palgrave Macmillan.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. (1998). General Comment No. 9: The Domestic Application of the Covenant. E/C.12/1998/24.
Fredman, S. (2008). Human Rights Transformed: Positive Rights and Positive Duties. Oxford University Press.
George, M. (2020, October 7). SLP Contemplates Court Challenge to COVID-19 (Prevention and Control) Bill. The Voice.
Human Rights Watch. (2020a). Human Rights Dimensions of COVID-19 Response. https://www.hrw.org/node/339654/printable/print
Human Rights Watch. (2020b, October 8). Open Letter to Dr Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/08/open-letter-dr-keith-rowley-prime-minister-trinidad-and-tobago
Jamaica Gleaner. (2020, October 4). ‘A Death Sentence’ – Advocate Renews Call for Release of Low-Risk Prisoners Amid COVID-19 Outbreak at Tower Street.
James, W. (2020). Social and Economic Rights in the Caribbean. In R. Albert, D. O’Brien, & S. Wheatle (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions (pp. 455–481). Oxford University Press.
Jaramillo, S. (2020). COVID-19 and Primary and Secondary Education: The Impact of the Crisis and Public Policy Implications for Latin America and the Caribbean. United Nations Development Program.
Khan, R. (2020, November 14). 64 MSP Prisoners Positive for COVID-19. Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.
Lebret, A. (2020, May 4). COVID-19 Pandemic and Derogation to Human Rights. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lssa015.
O’Brien, D. (2020). The Interpretation of Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutions: Does Text Matter? In R. Albert, D. O’Brien, & S. Wheatle (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions (pp. 555–581). Oxford University Press.
PAHO. (2020). 2030 Agenda for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Look from the Human Rights Perspective. PAHO.
Pugh, J. (2020). The United Kingdom’s Coronavirus Act, Deprivations of Liberty, and the Right to Liberty and Security of the Person. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 7(1), 1–14.
Ricketts, H. (2020). The Government of Jamaica (GoJ) COVID-19 Pandemic Stimulus Response: An Opportunity to Regulate and Formalize? International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 40(9/10), 979–993.
Sekalala, S., Forman, L., Habibi, R., & Meier, B. (2020). Health and Human Rights Inextricably Linked in the COVID-19 Response. BMJ Global Health, 2020, 5. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003359
United Nations. (2020a). COVID-19 and Human Rights: We Are All in This Together. United Nations. https://www.un.org/victimsofterrorism/sites/www.un.org.victimsofterrorism/files/un_-_human_rights_and_covid_april_2020.pdf
United Nations. (2020b). Socio Economic Response to COVID-19: Assessment and Framework (Trinidad and Tobago). https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/TTO_Socioeconomic-Response-Plan_2020.pdf
United Nations Human Rights Commission. (2020, May 13). COVID-19 Guidance: Human Rights at the Heart of the Response. https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Events/COVID-19_Guidance.pdf
Wheatle, S. (2020). Constitutional Principles: Forging Caribbean Constitutionalism. In R. Albert, D. O’Brien, & S. Wheatle (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions (pp. 79–104). Oxford University Press.
Wheatle, S., & Campbell, Y. (2020). Constitutional Faith and Identity in the Caribbean: Tradition, Politics and the Creolisation of Caribbean Constitutional Law. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 58(3), 344–365.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Johns, A. (2021). Safeguarding Human Rights in a Global Pandemic: Reflections on the Caribbean’s Response to COVID-19. In: Campbell, Y., Connell, J. (eds) COVID in the Islands: A comparative perspective on the Caribbean and the Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5285-1_26
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5285-1_26
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-5284-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-5285-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)