The aim of the Campaign is to combat discrimination and hate speech against persons suspected of being infected with COVID, infected with Coronavirus or cured of this infectious disease.
The section launched on social networks will include testimonies of people affected in a certain way by COVID-19, including their close people, describing the experience they have gone through and the difficulties they had or have to face because of stigmatization in society. We hope that these stories, descriptions of real situations and distributed to the public will break the generated patterns in society regarding the victims of the virus, and that it will empathize with the general public to kindly understand this category of people.
As the author of the initiative, the team of the People’s Advocate Office reserves the right to manage the messages placed on this subject, in order to eliminate those inciting hatred or discrimination or of a licentious and offensive nature.
The idea of a social media campaign with the hashtag #IAmNotAVirus was advanced by the UN Rapporteur on the rights of national minorities, Fernand de Varennes, in connection with the attacks on people of Chinese origin, in some Asian countries or against some migrants. The initiative is also taken over by the People’s Advocate Office, along with institutions and organizations from other countries.
Employees of the People’s Advocate Office find that the COVID-19 pandemic is not just a health issue. This virus can cause hatred, intolerance, social exclusion and stigmatization, which is the dark side of the disease.
Unfortunately, in the Republic of Moldova we also witness this tendency, given that people suspected of being infected with COVID, infected by Coronavirus or cured of this infectious disease are becoming more and more targeted for attacks, on the grounds that they are guilty of spreading the deadly virus.
Employees of the People’s Advocate Office blame such behaviors, emphasizing that discrimination and social exclusion should not be allowed, they lead to the violation of other rights and have adverse consequences on stigmatized persons.
The team of the People’s Advocate Office addresses all the members of the society with the urge to impede the infection to damage our human cohesion and solidarity. During the period of the Coronavirus pandemic, we need firm actions from the authorities, as well as from all members of the community, to protect the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized people, including those affected by COVID-19.
The staff members of the institution call on the members of the company to be responsible, not to exploit the fears related to the disease in order to set certain categories of persons as patsy, which leads to an increase in violence against them. They also address the population with the call to demonstrate understanding, empathy and human solidarity towards the people who suffered from COVD-19.
It also draws attention to the fact that stigma can cause people to hide the disease in order to avoid discrimination, which will lead to the further spread of the infection.
2020 /04 /06
Department of human rights promotion
and communication
Tel.: 060002656
#EuNuSuntVirusEuSuntOm
#IAmNotAVirus
