Even as it has frozen activity around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the human rights movement into action and reflection. These articles explore the many facets of what the pandemic means for human rights—from the solutions it has inspired to the challenges it has created and deepened. The pendulum swings, from risk to opportunity, from despair to hope, from fear to tolerance. Where will it land? This collection makes clear that there is still room to shape the result—a task for us all.
This collection was created with and edited by David Petrasek, dear friend and senior editor of OpenGlobalRights, and is published in his memory. For a more in-depth look into the windows of opportunity that the pandemic has created for a better future, see our Up Close series on Imagining our Post-Pandemic Futures.
Even as it has frozen activity around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the human rights movement into action and reflection. These articles explore the many facets of what the Coronavirus means for human rights. Some see a wake-up call for humanity: a pulling-back of the curtain on the systems and structures that allow for inequality and injustice, a window into the possibilities of a better future, and a spark for the movements and solutions needed to get there. Others recognize this moment of solidarity, but worry about the challenges it is creating, from fast-tracking risky technology to autocratic power grabs and deepening social divisions. The pendulum swings, from risk to opportunity, from despair to hope, from fear to tolerance. Where will it land? This collection makes clear that there is still room to shape the result—a task for us all.
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