A yearning for human dignity in times of Covid-19

It's important to remember that respect and human dignity should be centerstage in our response to the pandemic

“Human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own” – Pope Francis

What is the intrinsic value of being a human? Which is the guiding principle for moral values and civic virtues that we are supposed to follow? On what do human rights, bioethics and social justice discourses rest on? What do the Constitutions of nations supposedly strive to preserve? The answer common to all the questions posed above is the idea called ‘human dignity’.

Every person is worthy of honor and respect no matter who they are in this world. This is normative. But the reality is something entirely different. We live in an unjust and a stratified world. Human dignity crowns only a select few people. Not everyone is equally treated. If at all the inherent dignity of human beings was respected, vital resources, such as health and education for realising the fullest potential of the human beings, would not be unequally distributed. Not only are material resources unfairly distributed, even the honor of life is unequally assigned. It appears some lives matter less than the others.

The current pandemic has only foregrounded pre-existing social inequities and also brutally revealed the extent to which human dignity is compromised.

In the world’s largest democracy, India, stories of human dignity being trampled upon, especially during the pandemic have become common. We have seen hapless migrant workers walking all the way to their hometowns from big cities, instances of spraying of insecticide on labourers, poor living conditions in quarantine facilities, stigma and violence against frontline health workers, improper handling of dead bodies of Covid-19 infected individuals, use of police force and publicly shaming lockdown violators to name a few examples. All this shows clearly how respect for human dignity was tossed out of the window during the pandemic.

In the name of curbing the pandemic and ensuring public health what we see is that humans are stripped of their dignity. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which India is a signatory, says, “No one shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment.” Some provisions of the declaration can be suspended in view of public (health) emergencies like the one we are facing now.

However, the restrictions that are imposed on the individual’s rights in a democratic society even during the emergencies should consider caveats. The Siracusa principles propagated since 1985 say restrictive measures should be legitimate to achieve a social purpose, that it should be absolutely required in order to achieve the social cause, that the measures taken should be minimally intrusive and the least restrictive option should be chosen, the restrictive measure should be supported with scientific evidence, that it should not be applied arbitrarily or discriminatively, it should be subjected to review and most importantly, it should respect human dignity.

More empathy, not less

The harsh unplanned nationwide lockdown that was imposed on 1.2 billion Indian citizens is a case in point that illustrates the extent to which human dignity was affronted in India. Many have lost their livelihoods. Some children are not able to access online education. Destroying livelihoods and poor access to education means loss of resources for leading a dignified life.

It's high time we realise that respect and human dignity should be center stage in our response to the pandemic. In fact, human dignity lies at the heart of solving all social problems we face today. The Covid-19 pandemic is cruel, it has taken a toll on the lives of the people especially the poor and marginalised. There is more reason now to be empathetic towards each other. We are no less human during the Covid-19 crisis. We should not forget that.

At this moment, it is good to recall the African ubuntu ideal: “I am because we are”. As a nation we fail morally when our fellow citizens are harassed, embarrassed and when their dignity is denied in any form. Afterall, the idea of a democratic nation is built with the expectation that it will uphold our worth as a human being.

Solidarity and responsibility are key for preserving human dignity which is the very foundation of our lives and societies. In that spirit, the state's measures to affirm human rights and social protection is pivotal. The State is obligated to preserve it for everyone and not just reserve it for some in the society. That will be gross injustice to humankind as a whole if we were to ignore this basic dictum of what it means to be human.

(Meena Putturaj is a health policy and systems researcher and a PhD scholar exploring the institutional dimension for implementing patient rights)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.