Defacing the Dignity of Minorities through the Prism of the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Plight of BAME Groups in Britain

Abstract

This article examines the dignity of minority groups through the prism of the Covid-19 pandemic in Britain. It argues that, despite the significant achievements by successive governments in promoting equality in Britain; the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the BAME groups still face undignified treatments which affirm the status-quo. In respect of the UN Charter and international law, this article contends that the ‘right to equality’ is a recognised and established human right principle, seeking to protect the worth of all human beings without distinction. Procedurally, the government and public institutions owe it as a public sector equality duty (PSED), to implement creative and substantive policies/programmes to foster equal opportunities for all individuals to thrive. Similarly, the article argues that though the Equality Act of 2010 has established legal remedies to stem discriminatory practices in places of work; however, the Pandemic demonstrates that BAME groups’ remain marginalised including the LGBT community. Furthermore, this article draws on researches conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Oxford Independent Research Centre, National Health Service and UK’s Parliament’s records, to contend that BAME groups were disproportionately suppressed by the Covid-19 due to unfavourable governmental and institutional policies. Lastly, this article concludes that the unfavourable treatments suffered by the BAME groups at the hands of government agencies during the pandemic compromises the people’s human dignity.

Keywords: BAME Groups, Covid-19, Dignity, Discriminatory policies, Human Rights and LGBT

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/135-01

Publication date:August 31^st 2023