During the COVID-19 pandemic, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) can play an important role in ensuring that human rights are not forgotten. Human rights are tools that we can use to steer governments towards making decisions that put the health and wellbeing of everyone at the forefront. However, many governments and media outlets frame human rights as an obstacle to public health. We often reinforce this damaging narrative unintentionally.

In this webinar training, Israel Butler, Head of Advocacy at the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, shares ideas on how to frame human rights when speaking about the measures that authorities are taking (or failing to take) to halt the spread and minimise the impact of coronavirus. The session will cover research on effective ways to communicate about human rights, examples of what works and what does not work, and ways to frame a message.

It will draw on examples from the COVID-19 context, and participants are also encouraged to share examples from their work. Some of the topics that will be covered include: economic and social rights; democratic freedoms and the rule of law; and the rights of people in institutional settings.