Xenophobia as a human right violation in south africa

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Keeping the society safe against pandemics is the best way to ensure each member can fully enjoy their human rights.

That was the message from Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh speaking during a High-level Segment of the 46th Regular Session of the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) via video conference on February 22.

Minh told the event that the COVID-19 pandemic had claimed the lives of millions, affected the well-being of billions around the world, and had strained public health and social security systems of all countries, triggering and exacerbating various human rights challenges.

However, “Việt Nam continues to put emphasis on the protection and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of our people, even in this most difficult of times,” he said, adding that the country had tackled the pandemic head on, putting the people at the centre of all its efforts.

Prompt and determined actions had been taken to control outbreaks to protect the health and safety of the people as a matter of top priority. Efforts were also made to maintain economic growth and social welfare, to leave no one behind.

Thanks to the whole-of-government approach and the overwhelming support and solidarity of all people, COVID-19 had largely been controlled in Việt Nam, Minh said.

He went on to say that the Vietnamese economy continued to grow at almost 3 per cent in 2020 and timely support had been given to businesses and people affected by the pandemic, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, women, children and people with disabilities.

“COVID-19 has left no country untouched,” he said.

“No one can be safe until everyone is safe. As part of the international community, we are all in this together. Therefore, international solidarity and cooperation is critical to help us rise above challenges and move forward.”

Minh used the occasion to offer thanks for the valuable support from partner countries, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and people around the world helping Việt Nam’s fight against the pandemic. He also shared that Việt Nam had provided medical masks and supplies to support more than 50 countries and international partners in their response to the pandemic.

As proposed by Việt Nam, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution proclaiming December 27 as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness to help raise awareness on the importance of preventing and responding to epidemics.

To further contribute effectively to joint efforts in protecting and promoting human rights, Việt Nam presented its candidature for membership of the Human Rights Council for the term 2023-25, he added.

The UNHRC’s 46th regular session is taking place from February 22 to March 23 to discuss measures to promote and protect humans rights in all civil, political, socio-economic and cultural aspects.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, chaired by President of the UNHRC Nazhat Shameem Khan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasised that human rights are the basis for connecting humanity, resolving conflicts and building sustainable peace and the UNHRC is the main global body to address challenges on human rights.

He said that the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated human rights challenges and seriously affected vulnerable groups. He called for joint action in priority areas of anti-racism, anti-discrimination and anti-xenophobia, and gender equality.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed pandemic response measures should be carried out on the basis of ensuring human rights, the community’s trust and democratic institutions effectively. — VNS

A laboratory study suggests that the South African variant of the coronavirus may reduce antibody protection from the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE vaccine by two-thirds, and it is not clear if the shot will be effective against the mutation, the companies said on Wednesday.

The study found the vaccine was still able to neutralize the virus and there is not yet evidence from trials in people that the variant reduces vaccine protection, the companies said.

Still, they are making investments and talking to regulators about developing an updated version of their mRNA vaccine or a booster shot, if needed.

For the study, scientists from the companies and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) developed an engineered virus that contained the same mutations carried on the spike portion of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa, known as B.1.351.

The spike, used by the virus to enter human cells, is the primary target of many COVID-19 vaccines.

Researchers tested the engineered virus against blood taken from people who had been given the vaccine, and found a two- thirds reduction in the level of neutralizing antibodies compared with its effect on the most common version of the virus prevalent in U.S. trials.

Their findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Because there is no established benchmark yet to determine what level of antibodies are needed to protect against the virus, it is unclear whether that two-thirds reduction will render the vaccine ineffective against the variant spreading around the world.

However, UTMB professor and study co-author Pei-Yong Shi said he believes the Pfizer vaccine will likely be protective against the variant.

“We don’t know what the minimum neutralizing number is. We don’t have that cutoff line,” he said, adding that he suspects the immune response observed is likely to be significantly above where it needs to be to provide protection.

That is because in clinical trials, both the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and a similar shot from Moderna Inc conferred some protection after a single dose with an antibody response lower than the reduced levels caused by the South African variant in the laboratory study.

Even if the concerning variant significantly reduces effectiveness, the vaccine should still help protect against severe disease and death, he noted.

Health experts have said that is the most important factor in keeping stretched healthcare systems from becoming overwhelmed.

More work is needed to understand whether the vaccine works against the South African variant, Shi said, including clinical trials and the development of correlates of protection – the benchmarks to determine what antibody levels are protective.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they were doing similar lab work to understand whether their vaccine is effective against another variant first found in Brazil.

Moderna published a correspondence in NEJM on Wednesday with similar data previously disclosed elsewhere that showed a sixfold drop antibody levels versus the South African variant.

Moderna also said the actual efficacy of its vaccine against the South African variant is yet to be determined.

The company has previously said it believes the vaccine will work against the variant.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said Tuesday Britain had failed to protect potential victims of child trafficking in a case dating back to 2009, and breached two articles relating to the prohibition of forced labor and the right to a fair trial.

The court ordered Britain to pay 25,000 euros in damages and 20,000 euros for costs and expenses to each of the applicants, who are now in their 20s.

The British government has three months to decide whether to appeal the ruling at the ECHR’s grand chamber.

Britain’s Home Office (interior ministry) said in statement that it was “carefully considering” the judgment.

“The government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives,” it said.

Anti-slavery advocates welcomed the ruling and said it could affect the treatment of victims in other European nations.

“It’s actually a game changer on the rights of all victims of trafficking to protection,” said Parosha Chandran, a barrister who represented one of the two applicants in the case.

“This judgment will count for many victims today, tomorrow and in many years to come,” she added.

In its ruling, the Strasbourg-based court outlined how the two Vietnamese applicants – referred to as V.C.L. and A.N. – were discovered working on cannabis farms in Britain in 2009, and charged with drugs offenses to which they pleaded guilty.

Following their conviction, the two teenagers were detained in young offenders’ institutions before later being recognized by British authorities as victims of human trafficking.

However, prosecutors ultimately concluded that they had not been trafficked and Britain’s Court of Appeal ruled that the decision to prosecute them had been justified, the ruling said.

But the ECHR said prosecutors did not give clear reasons to challenge the classification of the two Vietnamese as victims of trafficking, and that the Court of Appeal had only addressed whether the decision to prosecute had been an abuse of process.

The lack of any assessment of whether the applicants had been trafficked may have prevented them from securing important evidence capable of helping their defense, the ruling said.

The United Kingdom thus violated Article 4 – prohibition of forced labor – and Article 6 – right to a fair trial – under the European Convention on Human Rights, according to the ECHR.

A record 10,627 suspected modern slaves were identified in Britain in 2019 – up by 52 percent in a year – while the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the crime further underground with victims less likely to be found or receive help, according to activists.

Police, lawyers and campaigners have raised concerns that children are often prosecuted on drug charges despite evidence suggesting they were coerced, and a legal defense protecting such defendants under Britain’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act.

“This case overwhelmingly proves identification is key for child victims of trafficking, particularly if they are caught up in criminal exploitation,” said Anna Sereni, coordinator of the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group, a coalition of charities.

“We’re glad that the ECHR acknowledged the importance of protecting children through principles of non-punishment and non-prosecution,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Vietnamese workers registering for working in South Korea. — VNA/VNS Photo

The Department of Overseas Labour under Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, after September 21, will unilaterally liquidate the contracts of the workers and notify the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) to process the deposit of employees.

The agency said that based on the notice of the Korean Human Resources Development Agency about the results of the employees’ compliance with the labour contract in South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) programme and checking of the employees’ deposit at VBSP, there were 1,750 Vietnamese guest workers staying illegally in South Korea after terminating the employment contract or fleeing from their workplace.

The agency, on June 26, sent letters to departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in Vietnam’s cities and provinces where the employees registered their permanent residence before going to work in South Korea to co-ordinate with local authorities to verify the employees’ labour contract performance.

The list of the employees was also posted on the agency’s website.

To date, it is more than 40 working days from the date of notification and based on the verification results of the labour departments in provinces and cities, the agency decided to process the bank deposits of 1,476 guest workers in South Korea.

After the deadline of September 21, the agency will process the employee’s deposit.

In April this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a pilot scheme which requires domestic workers to make deposits before departing to work in South Korea.

Under the decision, Vietnamese guest workers heading to work in South Korea under the EPS programme were required to make a pre-departure deposit worth VND100 million (US$4,239) to guarantee their return to Vietnam after their contract expires.

The new policy was part of measures to prevent Vietnamese migrant workers from overstaying their contracts in South Korea.

The workers must pay the deposit at the VBSP within 35 days of signing a contract for employment in South Korea.

The deposit will be refunded to the workers upon the end of the contract.

The workers will lose the deposit if they flee from their workplace or try to illegally stay in South Korea after their contracts end or their duration of stay is expired.   VNS

Over 1,700 Vietnamese workers illegally remain in South Korea

As many as 1,750 Vietnamese workers are illegally staying in South Korea after the expiry of their labour contracts, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.