A Reflection on Security Agents’ Human Rights Violations in the Enforcement of Covid-19 Measures

Abstract

This paper reflects on security agents’ response efforts throughout the Covid-19 period across the world. The aim of the paper is to draw the human rights excesses perpetrated by security forces across the world to stimulate rethinking of States’ security, securitization, and policing policies as well as strategies in times of emergencies and pandemics. Data informing the discussion in the paper were drawn from secondary sources such as journal articles and online news portals. The discussion shows that various regimes of securitization characterized the pandemic period. The contention of the paper is that the enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions by security forces in some countries resulted in violations of several human rights. The way the enforcement of the pandemic measures was carried out impaired people’s rights and their dignity. Hence, trauma may be one of the major challenging issues to deal with in the post-Covid-19 era. The paper contributes to the understanding of the interaction between security and human rights.

Keywords: Security Agents, Human Rights, Violation, Covid-19, Enforcement

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/125-01

Publication date:October 31^st 2022