SDG             16         AND
THE
PANDEMIC
       "From the New Normal
        to the Better Normal"
          Arvhie S. Santos
National Director in Education end Research
 Youth for Human Rights and Democracy
        Goal        16:
Promote peaceful and inclusive
    societies for sustainable
development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective,
          accountable
 and inclusive institutions at all
              levels.
           Importance
   of SDG   16   in achieving the
                                         Institutions play a
   sustainable development
                 goals
                                              key role in
                                             sustainable
The      world    is     facing   an      development as
unprecedented crisis. At its core is     they establish and
a global public health emergency           enforce rules in
on a scale not seen for a century,       society to maintain
requiring a global response with
                                        peace and justice and
far-reaching     consequences     for
our economic, social and political
                                        protect human rights.
lives.
  of SDG
          Importance
              16   in achieving the
                                        The centrality of
   sustainable development             protection of lives,
                                      which underpins the
                   goals
                                           response in
                                          humanitarian
SDG 16 presents a guide to our        settings, ensures that
government on how to exercise            we collectively
their power so that it is used for         preserve our
the benefit of the people and not
                                       common humanity
to do harm.
                                           and dignity.
           How
  the COVID    -19   Has               PEACE: Fear and Harassment
     Hindered the                        Towards Health Workers
Achievement of SDG         16
 Health care workers have been cited as experiencing a high risk of
 violence. Many health workers suffer physical abuse at some point
 in their careers, and a lot more are threatened or exposed to
 verbal aggression.
 Reports of health workers being attacked became news, with
 many experiencing eviction, ridicule, and harassment.
           How
  the COVID     -19   Has               PEACE: Fear and Harassment
     Hindered the                         Towards Health Workers
Achievement of SDG          16
 The healthcare workers have always enjoyed the trust of our
 community. But hysteria could make us turn on them so quickly.
 As a long-term consequence, this kind of violence compromises
 the quality of care nurses can offer, and puts the health care
 system at risk. The physical exhaustion, psychological
 helplessness, and the health threat itself frequently lead to a large
 number of negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and
 powerlessness.
          How
  the COVID   -19   Has              PEACE: Discrimination and
    Hindered the                     Racism Amidst Coronavirus
Achievement of SDG        16
 The spread of COVID-19 has given Philippines law enforcement
 broad discretion to enforce public health measures. When
 discrimination is added to the mix, that unfettered power can be
 particularly demeaning and dehumanizing for vulnerable groups.
PEACE: Discrimination and
Racism Amidst Coronavirus
Where curfews exist as a means
      of slowing the spread
   of the virus, they should be
   enforced in a professional,
  measured manner that does
not jeopardize people’s rights and
             dignity.
          How
  the COVID   -19   Has              PEACE: Discrimination and
    Hindered the                     Racism Amidst Coronavirus
Achievement of SDG        16
 Efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 are essential, but
 should not be used as an excuse to demean vulnerable groups.
 The humiliation of vulnerable groups in the Philippines
 demonstrates the need for oversight and accountability to ensure
 that officials across the country respect people’s rights and
 dignity during the current crisis.
  PEACE: Discrimination and
  Racism Amidst Coronavirus
The masses’ reaction to the Wuhan
  coronavirus outbreak made us
 realize that there lingers a divide
  between Chinese-Filipinos and
  pure-blooded Filipinos despite
having shared one home country for
        hundreds of years.
          How
  the COVID    -19   Has             PEACE: Discrimination and
     Hindered the                    Racism Amidst Coronavirus
Achievement of SDG         16
 Examine our own biases and consider where they may have
 originated. What messages did we receive as a kid about people
 who are different from us? What was the racial and/or ethnic
 make-up of our neighborhood, school, or religious community?
 These experiences produce and reinforce bias, stereotypes, and
 prejudice, which can lead to discrimination. Eengage in tough
 conversations about race and injustice. Examining our own biases
 can help us work to ensure that we treat others with respect.
 PEACE: Online Hate and Fake
    News in Social Media
No     technology       has        been
weaponized        at        such     an
unprecedented      global    scale   as
social media. With just a click on our
phones or laptop keyboards, anyone
can perpetuate the sharing of fake
news and amplification of hate
speech.
 PEACE: Online Hate and Fake
    News in Social Media
Fake news is generated by outlets
that masquerade as actual media
sites   but   promulgate      false   or
misleading accounts designed to
deceive       the   public.      These
disinformation campaigns have the
potential to disrupt humanitarian
efforts and responses.
           How
  the COVID    -19   Has             PEACE: Online Hate and Fake
     Hindered the                       News in Social Media
Achievement of SDG         16
 Everyone has a responsibility to combat the scourge of fake news.
 This ranges from evaluating news sources and improving digital
 literacy among the general public. News consumers have to keep
 their guard up and understand that not everything they read is
 accurate and many digital sites specialize in false news. Learning
 how to judge news sites and protect oneself from inaccurate
 information is a high priority in the digital age.
           How
                                               JUSTICE:
  the COVID     -19   Has
                                       Sexual and Gender-Based
     Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16                 Violence
 "Gender violence“ includes domestic violence, rape, trafficking
 in women and girls, forced prostitution, and violence in armed
 conflict, such as murder, systematic rape, sexual slavery and
 forced pregnancy. Violence against women occurs when the
 rights of women are violated, such as when women are physically
 injured, raped, beaten, held captive, or forced to work or provide
 services against their will.
           How
                                               JUSTICE:
   the COVID    -19   Has
                                       Sexual and Gender-Based
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16                 Violence
The compounding effects of lockdowns and broader pandemic
conditions facilitate violence and reduce victims’ ability to report
incidents or seek help. There are three avenues contributing to more
violence and less support during the COVID-19 pandemic: (1)
increased exposure to perpetrators due to lockdown orders and
care responsibilities, (2) triggering stressful environments for
perpetrators and (3) reduced support services.
           How
                                                  JUSTICE:
   the COVID    -19   Has
                                          Sexual and Gender-Based
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16                    Violence
  1. Increased exposure to perpetrators
While the lockdowns or stay-at-home orders the governments has
imposed are necessary to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus,
they limit women’s ability to escape domestic violence.
            How
                                              JUSTICE:
   the COVID    -19   Has
                                      Sexual and Gender-Based
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16                Violence
2. Triggers for perpetrators
The COVID-19 pandemic is straining the world’s economy as
unemployment figures rise worldwide. Job loss leads to financial
and psychological stress. Feeling as though there is no way to
control the pandemic, or even the household’s financial situation
can provoke assertion of power through violence.
           How
                                               JUSTICE:
   the COVID    -19   Has
                                       Sexual and Gender-Based
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16                 Violence
3. Limited support
Access to support, security and legal services is severely reduced.
Not all governments designated women's support centers as
essential, leading to a decrease in the number of centers open to
receive victims fleeing their homes.
           How
                                       JUSTICE: The Widening Gap
   the COVID    -19   Has
                                              Between the
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16          Rich and the Marginalized
The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting the poor the hardest and
exposing the gaping inequities in access to food, shelter, and health
care. Many people can’t get to their jobs. Those in the transport
sector have lost their source of income. In effect, the gap between
the elites and the marginalized has only increased.
           How
                                       JUSTICE: The Widening Gap
  the COVID     -19   Has
                                              Between the
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16          Rich and the Marginalized
The wealthy can retreat to their comfortable homes, with food
stocks to last them months, whereas our less fortunate citizens are
out in the streets, getting caught by police for not following the law.
           How
                                                 SOCIAL
  the COVID     -19   Has
                                      INSTITUTIONS: COVID-19 as a
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16          Test of National Leadership
The world witnessed how the COVID-19 pandemic put to test not
only leadership at the global level but also political leadership at the
domestic level. No country is fully prepared for epidemics or
pandemics and that most countries lack foundational health
systems capacities vital for epidemic and pandemic response, for
example, to prevent, detect, and respond to significant infectious
disease outbreaks.
           How
                                                 SOCIAL
  the COVID     -19   Has
                                      INSTITUTIONS: COVID-19 as a
      Hindered the
Achievement of SDG          16          Test of National Leadership
The world witnessed how the COVID-19 pandemic put to test not
only leadership at the global level but also political leadership at the
domestic level. No country is fully prepared for epidemics or
pandemics and that most countries lack foundational health
systems capacities vital for epidemic and pandemic response, for
example, to prevent, detect, and respond to significant infectious
disease outbreaks.
           How
  the COVID    -19   Has            Who is COVID-19 harming, how
     Hindered the                            and why?
Achievement of SDG         16
It is the poor and vulnerable who are severely affected. Yet the poor
and the vulnerable in our societies are not only at greater risk from
the virus itself, they are most severely affected by the negative
impacts of measures to control it.
Those employed in the informal sector, disproportionately women,
have little recourse to social protection or unemployment
assistance.
   COVID -19   is undermining
 sustainable development at
a time in which efforts need to
be accelerated to implement
       the Sustainable
     Development Goals    .
                                        The instability and fear that the
                                        pandemic causes is intensifying
The     COVID-19          crisis   is
                                        existing social injustice and human
highlighting   deep        economic
                                        rights      concerns,    such      as
inequalities and social injustices
                                        discrimination     against   certain
and inadequate health and social
                                        groups,     hate   speech,      social
protection systems that require
                                        inequality, and sexual and gender-
urgent attention as part of the
                                        based violence, as well as limited
public health response.
                                        access to education and social
                                        services.
We     need   to     work      with       our
government         and    at   the       same
time   hold   it    accountable      .    The
government and our communities
must    respond      to   threats         and
crises in a way that puts people
at the center  .
This is not a time to neglect human rights
and   freedoms          ;
   it   is   a    time   when        ,   more
than    ever     ,   human        rights        are   needed          to
navigate         this   crisis         in   a   way       that       will
allow   us   ,   as   soon        as    possible      ,   to       focus
again on achieving equitable sustainable
development and sustaining peace                               .
                        -       Read reliable and trustworthy
     Rising to the
                        newspaper articles and listen to news.
Challenge of COVID-19
                        -   Know your rights.
                        -      Talk with someone who doesn’t
                        share your political views.
                        -   Watch documentaries.
                        -      Attend a discussion or event in
                        your community or school about an
                        issue you want to know more about.
     Open Mind
                        -   Use your social media
                        accounts to post uplifting information
                        relevant to making our
                        society more civil.
     Rising to the
Challenge of COVID-19
                        -       Offer a listening heart to the
                        indigents and the vulnerable.
                        -    Make your social media account a
                        safe space.
                        -   Emphatize. Place
     Open Heart         yourself in the shoes of others.
     Rising to the
Challenge of COVID-19   -   Make sure you’re registered to vote.
                        -       Make a voting pact with your
                        friends or family.
                        -     Choose your advocacy and be an
                        advocate.
                        -   Join an organization. Take a lead.
                        -   Spearhead a project.
      Open Will         -   Attend a workshop
                        -   Help others in an emergency.
                        -   Volunteer!
         ,        ,
      37%                            ,
          We   the youth   may
       100 %                     .        ,
only be        of our population         but
    ’           . ’
 we are           of our future      So
           2021
 Let s make a deal    Let s all make
             ,
sure that in        we will show the
      country     or our world
                   .
   even what it means to be a
               volunteer
        !
Thank you
            Have a great
             weekend!
 Let's connect!
FB: Arvhie        Email:         IG:
 Santos      arvhiesantos19   @art.emis_
              @gmail.com