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EU FRA: Many older people in care homes fell victim to COVID-19

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Many older people in care homes fell victim to COVID-19. Many also faced months of isolation and restrictions often harsher than those enforced for other parts of the population. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) looks at how the pandemic affected the rights of older people. It highlights the need for a rights-based approach as governments shape their exit strategies.

“Everyone has the same rights, no matter how old they are,” stressed FRA director, Michael O’Flaherty. “As we transition to the ‘new normal’, governments must pay special attention to the needs of older people and ensure they are treated equally. Only then, will older people be able to regain their lives in dignity and respect.”

“As we transition to the ‘new normal’, governments must pay special attention to the needs of older people and ensure they are treated equally. Only then, will older people be able to regain their lives in dignity and respect.”

Michael O’Flaherty

FRA’s third Coronavirus pandemic in the EU: fundamental rights implications looks at the measures EU Member States took to address the pandemic between 1 May – 31 May 2020. This edition focuses on the impact on older people.While governments aim to protect the most vulnerable in our societies, some COVID-19 measures raise concerns about the rights of older people:

Right to life – the death rate among older people was much higher than among other age groups – particularly in institutional settings, which serves to underline the vulnerability and need for close monitoring of older people in such settings.

Access to healthcare – as national healthcare systems came under pressure, doctors were forced to decide who to treat. In some EU countries, authorities or healthcare bodies issued guidance suggesting a patient’s age as a criterion for prioritising treatment.

Lack of testing – testing of care home residents and staff was lacking. By the end of May, testing was planned or underway only in a third of EU countries.

Stricter restrictions – many EU countries had stricter rules for older people than for the general population. At the same time, all countries introduced specific measures to help older people access services or use public transport.

Isolation – lack of social contacts took a toll on the physical and mental well-being of older people. Many local initiatives supported people in care homes.

Healthcare delays – many countries suspended non-urgent treatments, which affected many older people who have existing health conditions requiring treatment. EU countries need better data to understand how the pandemic affected older people to help them make evidence-based decisions for the future.

As our societies reopen, governments should take care of the needs of older people as the passage to the ‘new normal’ will likely be slower and more difficult for them.

The bulletin also looks at other fundamental rights implications of government measures to fight the pandemic:states of emergency;measures to contain the virus and mitigate its impact on social life, education, work, the justice system and travel to and within the EU;

the impact of the virus on other vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, detainees, homeless people and victims of domestic violence.FRA will continue to monitor the situation and publish regular updates, drawing on evidence collected across all EU countries

CEPS and the EU FRA organize webinar on Racism during COVID19

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The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on all aspects of European societies. The pandemic has not affected all population groups equally, as FRA’s regular bulletins on the fundamental rights implications of COVID-19 show. In particular, responses to COVID-19 have illustrated and exacerbated existing patterns of discrimination, prejudice and intolerance.

The rapid spread of massive protests and mobilisations internationally in response to the killing of George Perry Floyd during a police stop have underlined the urgent need to timely address institutionalised manifestations of racism and discrimination, also in the EU.

This Webinar, co-organised between CEPS and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), will highlight and critically explore some of these patterns, and discuss the significance of responses to the pandemic for fundamental rights and what this implies for EU and national policy makers, with particular attention to the necessity to properly implement fundamental rights protections in the EU.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, European Commission
MODERATOR: Sergio Carrera, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Justice and Home Affairs Unit, CEPS
DISCUSSANTS: Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP, European Parliament Karen Taylor, Chair of Board of the European Network against Racism and Xenophobia, (ENAR) Dora Kostakopoulou, Member of the Scientific Committee FRA and Professor of European Law at the University of Warwick
EVENT DETAILS: Date: 03.07.2020, Friday Time: 13:00 – 14:30 (Brussels time, CET) The event will be hosted via Zoom. Open to all public. Once registered, the zoom link + password will be shared with you nearer to the event. Event page: HERE

EU Priorities for the 44th session of the Human Rights Council from an EU perspective

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Robert Johnson
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From 30 June to 17 July 2019, the EU will participate actively in the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC44) taking place in Geneva, underlining that the protection and promotion of human rights is and will remain at the core of the EU’s external action. “We have to put the protection of Human Rights front and centre in the fight against and recovery from Covid-19,” emphasises Ambassador Walter Stevens, Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva. “The fight against the pandemic should not be used as a pretext to limit democratic and civic space, the respect of the rule of law and of international commitments, nor to curtail freedoms or access to information. We will therefore continue to be a strong voice for the respect of human rights.”

At HRC44, the EU will take the lead on a resolution on Belarus, following up on last year’s resolution and drawing attention to the deterioration of the human rights situation in the run-up to the Presidential elections of 9 August. The Belarusian authorities have significantly increased their repressions of the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country, while formal restrictions remain in place. Belarus also continues to apply the death penalty, to which the European Union reiterated its unequivocal opposition. The EU-led resolution on the situation of human rights in Belarus aims to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for one more year.

“In the context of a pandemic where we have seen an increased spread of mis- and disinformation, and measures that have limited the fundamental right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and access to information, it could not be more timely to support the resolution on Freedom of Expression at HRC44,” says EU Ambassador Stevens. We have to ensure that human rights defenders, journalists, media workers and civil society organisations can fully enjoy this right in a safe environment. The EU is therefore working closely with the pen-holders of the resolution and EU Member States to secure a substantial resolution on the Freedom of Expression with a focus on access to information, online and offline.

The EU remains committed to make genuine progress on the Business and Human Rights agenda inside and outside the EU in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We will therefore support and engage constructively in the upcoming resolutions related to Business and Human Rights, also to demonstrate our continued commitment to the implementation of the Guiding Principles.

Women’s rights and gender equality will feature very high on this Council session’s agenda. “The EU will use each and every occasion to reaffirm the full validity of our commitments to gender equality and will continue to promote the integration of a gender perspective throughout the work of the Human Rights Council,” underlines EU Ambassador Stevens. We will strongly engage in negotiations on gender-focused initiatives, including the resolutions on the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, elimination of female genital mutilation, as well as trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

During HRC44, we will continue to pay close attention to the human rights situation in Syria. To underscore our political and financial support to Syrians, the EU is virtually hosting the fourth Brussels Conference on Supporting the future of Syria and the region on the first day of HRC44, co-chaired with the UN. We will also continue to raise the human rights situation in China, including in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

The human rights situation in Eritrea also remains high on the Council’s agenda.To date, there is no evidence that Eritrea has made tangible progress on its human rights obligations. The EU strongly encourages progress on the Universal Periodic Review recommendations and cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Eritrea. Hence, the EU will continue to reiterate its concerns as regards the human rights situation in the country.

UN Human Rights Council adopts new resolution on Freedom of Religion

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Robert Johnson
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Freedom of Religion newspaper headline on a copy of the US Constitution with gavel

The resolution A/HRC/43/L.18 on Freedom of Religion or Belief has been Adopted at the 43th session of the Human Right Council the 19 June 2020

Action on Resolution on Freedom of Religion or Belief

In a resolution (A/HRC/43/L.18) on freedom of religion or belief, adopted without a vote, the Council expresses deep concern at emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief, and at instances of religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence, inter alia, the increasing number of acts of violence directed against individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities in various parts of the world, and the rise of religious extremism in various parts of the world that affects the rights of individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities. The Council condemns all forms of violence, intolerance, and discrimination based on or in the name of religion or belief…; strongly encourages government representatives and leaders in all sectors of society and respective communities to speak out against acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief; urges States to step up their efforts to promote and protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief; and calls upon States to make use of the potential of education for the eradication of prejudices against and stereotypes of individuals on the basis of their religion or belief.

43/… Freedom of religion or belief

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981, in which the  Assembly proclaimed the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief,

Recalling also article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,  article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights provisions,

Recalling further Human Rights Council resolution 40/10 of 21 March 2019, and  other resolutions adopted by the Council, the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights on the freedom of religion or belief or the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007,  Noting with appreciation the conclusions and recommendations of the expert workshops organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and contained in the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial and religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence,
adopted in Rabat on 5 October 2012, reaffirming that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated.

A_HRC_43_L.18_E-religious-freedomDownload

The ECR announces its latest online debate “Transatlantic Trade”

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The European Conservatives and Reformists Party will be holding Tuesday 30th June its latest online panel – Europe Debates: Transatlantic Trade.

According to the statement of the ECR “Transatlantic trade is currently worth hundreds of billions of Euro’s a year – with free trade agreements already negotiated between Canada and the European Union – the benefits of enhancing trade relations across the Atlantic are clear. The future of trade is increasingly with Latin America and the United States”.

ECR Party in partnership with Americans for Tax Reform, says the press release, will explore how expanding trade relations across the Atlantic will help with the post coronavirus recovery and ensure long term economic growth into the future.

The speakers invited to take the floor (or the mic) are: Eduardo Bolsonaro MP from Brazil, Grover Norquist – President of Americans for Tax Reform, Daniel Hannan – President of Initiative for Free Trade, Hermann Tertsch MEP from Spain, Matthias Karlsson MP from Sweden and Philip Thompson, International Trade Barrier Index.

EPP supports Paschal Donohoe for Eurogroup President

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EPP expresses its “full support for Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance of Ireland in his campaign to become the next Eurogroup President.   As one of the Eurogroup’s longest-serving members, and as an elected politician since 2007 from EPP member party Fine Gael, Minister Donohoe has the necessary experience to lead the Eurogroup at this time. He has committed to acting as a bridge builder between all Member States; North and South, East and West, small and large”.

According to the EPP “He also has a clear vision for an effective, inclusive and transparent Eurogroup which will drive economic growth and jobs. Being from a Programme country such as Ireland — which has experienced one of the EU’s fastest economic transformations and is now a net contributor to the EU budget— also means he deeply understands the challenges and concerns different countries are facing.

Over the past few months, COVID-19 has disrupted our economies as well as people’s lives”.

The EPP backs Paschal Donohoe for President of the Eurogroup. He will strive for a strong and inclusive European recovery.

Nepalese village develops agricultural capacity as long-term strategy

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BWNS
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Nepalese village develops agricultural capacity as long-term strategy | BWNS
MOTIBASTI, Nepal — With many migrant workers returning home amid the pandemic, the Baha’i Local Spiritual Assembly of Motibasti, Nepal, is looking at what it can do to enhance the community’s capacity to produce its own food.

“There are now many NGOs and agencies that are helping people with their immediate needs,” said Hemant Prakash Budha, member of the Local Spiritual Assembly. “But the Assembly realizes that it can think about long-term solutions. This village has the land and the skills to produce food. But how can we manage if we don’t organize our agricultural efforts as a community?”

The Local Spiritual Assembly has been consulting weekly since the start of the pandemic to help identify and meet the needs of the community. Recently, it has been connecting returning migrant workers with opportunities to farm uncultivated plots belonging to area residents.

“Our attitude is not one of dependence, where some people have everything and others are lacking” says Prasad Acharya, a resident of Motibasti. “We see how all can contribute to the community. This is an aspect of the Baha’i principle of the oneness of humanity: that all are one family and all prioritize for the needs of others.”

Drawing on local knowledge and expert advice, the Assembly has assisted families to determine which crops and livestock will provide the best sources of nutrition for the village.

The Assembly has been resourceful in helping the community to overcome obstacles. For example, when one part of the village found that it lacked water for irrigation, the Assembly sought assistance from local and regional officials who arranged for a well to be drilled.

Mr. Prakash Budha, reflecting on these experiences, states: “The community is concerned about a potential food crisis, the increasing price of goods, and other issues such as children’s education. When people consult in a spiritual way—lovingly and kindly—they start to become aware of the opportunities before them and how they can move forward. Consultation creates the hope that you can take action and change things.”

A Catholic priest and Red Cross get help from Scientologists in Hungary during Covid19

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Lending a hand to the community in need in the heart of Central Europe

In the middle of the after-pandemic-crisis when the lockdown and restrictions were released or lessened in most countries of Europe, volunteers have continued to help those in need in Hungary.

The current pandemic brought about a new kind of catastrophe which touched many lives all around the world. Apart from the virus itself and its risk of infection, many suffered  the economical effects of it. Large families, single parents, or elderly, got touched by the restrictions. Some even suddenly lost their job without being prepared.

This spring, Hungarian Scientology volunteer ministers responded super-fast to the scene of disarrangement caused by the spread of the Coronavirus. They quickly assessed what was needed and wanted.

According to Timea Vojtilla, who is currently leading the actions of the volunteer Scientologists in Hungary said to The Social News in EU that “Scientology Volunteer Ministers are well known to jump in and offer their help in all kind of catastrophic situations such as earthquakes, tsunami, forest fires, etc. bringing order and spiritual relief to those who were harmed and to help them to take up their lives again. Our motto is “SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT.”

First, they saw that hospital workers got suddenly burdened. They went into communication with the hospital that had been set up for the central handling of Covid-19 in Budapest to find out what their workers would need most. Answering the request, Hungarian Scientology Volunteer Ministers then provided the hospital with 300 kilos of fresh fruits, refreshments, and snacks to distribute to the nurses, doctors, and other hospital workers.

The following week they called the Hungarian Red Cross, which is one of the oldest and best-known charity organizations in Hungary, to learn what help would be most needed. As a result, they collected and donated non-perishable food to two offices of Hungarian Red Cross which then distributed these to families and elderly in need.

As in many other European countries, it became more and more visible, that for those who lost their jobs because of Covid-19, even if only through temporary unemployment, the future became harder and harder to predict. More and more people turned to charity organizations asking for help, especially those who had no or very small savings.

Scientologists gathered more donations and provided an average of 1 to 1.5 tons each time of durable food to different charity organizations, and as the word of mouth was running, they received more requests for help from all parts of Hungary and different parts of society.

Vojtilla said “We are going out every week, sometimes more than once, trying to fulfill the requested help as much as we can, helping with the most basic vital factor of living: food!”

Donations have included not only basic food for cooking such as flower, sugar, salt, pasta, canned food, oil, etc., but also fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, milk, sausages, and, thinking about children, also cacao, pudding, chocolates and different snacks.

The VMs, as they call themselves, or the yellow t-shirts as they are more and more known contributed to support different other religions knowing that churches were always anchors of spiritual support in troubled times.

As a catholic priest stated, after receiving a ton of food donations from the volunteer ministers, his “little countryside chapel had always been a shelter in its 100’s of years of past existence, even in past pandemics” and that he “was glad to receive donations from Scientologists, and happily distributed the food to all who needed it in my town, regardless of their religion or conviction”. The priest reported that he saw “tears in some people’s eyes when they received this help in these difficult times. Churches joining forces to provide solace in times of need are a basic need”.

“I was glad to receive donations from Scientologists, and happily distributed the food to all who needed it in my town, regardless of their religion or conviction”

A Catholic priest

Timea Vojtilla, spokesperson of the Hungarian Scientologist community and the main organizer of all those actions said: “We love to help others! And probably the most precious part of it is the teamwork when we can join forces with others! We are so much stronger together! Giving a hand to those who are harmed is an honor. I am very happy to see how many people were joining forces in this Covid-19 confusion and did not let others down. The Covid19 has not discriminated against one religion or another, an ethnicity or another, so our VMs have also been helping in Bodvalenke at a gypsy village famous for its wall´s fresco, an orphanage in Transilvania, and a children’s home in Budapest spreading a smile to the children with balloons and chocolate”.

Luk Zelderloo: We need stronger commitment by the EU to ensure resilience of Social Services

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by Press Release at the EU Brussels Press Club

On 25 June 2020, EASPD and the entire social services sector came together at European level to call the European Union to strengthen recognition, urgency and resilience in social services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery. The Online Summit was also the opportunity for the sector to engage with high level European policy and thought leaders: the Vice President of the European Parliament Dimitrios Papadimoulis, the Vice President of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica, Member of European Parliament Dragoş Pîslaru and University Professor Frank Vandenbroucke.

Yesterday, the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and 11 partners representing different dimensions to the social services sector at European level organized the Online Summit “Social Services & COVID19: what role for EU?,” viewed by over 2,000 people across different platforms.

Social Services is a sector employing over 11 million professionals, primarily in not-for-profit or public services, who provide care and support to millions of people with disabilities, older persons, children, people at risk of poverty and exclusion and many more.

In his welcoming remarks, the Vice President of the European Parliament, Dimitrios Papadimoulis highlighted the Parliament’s concern that COVID19 has exposed long-standing problems in care provision in the European Union and highlighted the possibility that the Recovery Plan for Europe, currently under negotiation, may make tens of billions of euros available for funding such initiatives.

The Vice President of the European Commission, Dubravka Suica, stated that “social services are under particular strain and the European Commission is committed to help”; listing their ongoing exchanges on how to best support the sector and the actions the European Union is taking in response to COVID19, including the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative.

Professor Frank Vandenbroucke from the University of Amsterdam referred to how well organized social policy is an investment into the resilience of our societies and expressed how COVID is a stress test for social services, but also for the real significance of the European Pillar of Social Rights, agreed in 2017.

Speaking on behalf of a support provider for children with disabilities in Bulgaria, Maya Doneva, CEO of Karin Dom, argued that “as someone who is in charge of a local service provider, I would like the European institutions to show more guarantees and commitment that social services are essential to the EU”.

Dragos Pislaru, Member of the European Parliament expressed his belief that social services are the real heroes in the fight against COVID19 but also called more to be done to improve their resilience. MEP Pislaru referred to the €560 billion proposed by the European Commission in the Resilience and Recovery Facility as an extremely useful instrument to generate the social reforms needed, included to designate social services as essential.

Heather Roy, Secretary General of Eurodiaconia, expressed concerns that we have on the one hand a commitment to support social services by the European Union, yet also reduced or no additional funding in the main policy funds that the EU sees as relevant for social services; referring to the proposed cuts to European Social Fund+ in the next framework.

Presenting the recently agreed joint position by the entire social services sector, EASPD Secretary General, Luk Zelderloo, said  “The message from the sector is crystal clear: we need the European Union to strengthen the recognition, take urgent action and invest in resilience in social services. Alongside national and regional authorities, the EU must demonstrate real commitment and ensure its policies actually reach social service providers across the continent”.

Scientists confirm Italian crucifix is oldest wooden statue in Europe

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By Courtney Mares

Rome Newsroom, Jun 26, 2020 / 08:30 am MT (CNA).- Scientists confirmed this month that a crucifix in the Italian city of Lucca is the oldest wooden statue in Europe.

A radiocarbon dating study conducted by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Florence dated the 8-foot wooden crucifix to between 770 to 880 AD. 

The study was commissioned by the Cathedral of Lucca to coincide with the 950-year anniversary of the cathedral’s consecration, which took place in the late 12th century. 

Devotion to the crucifix, known as the “Holy Face of Lucca,” spread throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, as pilgrims stopped in the walled Tuscan city on their way along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome.

Dante mentions the Holy Face of Lucca in his “Inferno,” and English King William II took a solemn vow in the name of the Holy Face in 1087.

The scientific study confirmed the local Catholic tradition based on a historical document stating that the crucifix arrived in Lucca in the late 8th century, according to the Archdiocese of Lucca. However, it does not lend evidence to the legend that it was carved from life by Nicodemus, a contemporary of Christ.

“For centuries much has been written of the Holy Face, but always in terms of faith and piety,” 
Annamaria Giusti, scientific consultant for the Lucca Cathedral, said in a statement issued by the  Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics.

“Only in the 20th century did a large critical debate begin around its dating and style. The prevailing opinion was that it was a work to be dated in the second half of the 12th century. Finally the assessment of this antique has closed this age-old controversial problem,” Giusti said. 

“We can now consider [it] the oldest wooden statue in the West that has been passed down to us.”

In the carbon-14 study, three samples of the wood were taken from different parts of the crucifix and one of the linen fabric to be evaluated. Each piece dated to between the last decades of the eighth century and beginning of the ninth century. 

Archbishop Paolo Giulietti of Lucca hailed the study’s results as a timely “message of salvation that comes from Jesus of Nazareth, crucified for love and risen in the power of God.”

“The Holy Face is not only one of the many crucifixes within our Italy and our Europe,” he said. “It is … a ‘living memory’ of the crucified and risen Christ.”

“It is a memorial that has its origins in antiquity, as today’s announcement confirms for us, and that has left indelible traces in the culture, spirituality of Lucca and the entire continent.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Cathedral of Lucca has postponed planned events celebrating its 950 year anniversary to the fall. It is unclear whether the city’s annual September 13 candlelight procession honoring the Holy Face will take place this year as many similar processions in Italy have been cancelled.

The at least 1,140-year-old crucifix can be viewed inside of the Lucca Cathedral of St. Martin. 

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