Week 10: Human Rights
Collective Humanity in the Biggest Period of Uncertainty Experienced in Decades
by Elena Ashton
The recent political turmoil regarding the UK’s response to the deepening recession, caused by a skyrocket in cost of living, illustrates a decreasing capacity (financially) for the UK to authentically uphold human rights (outlined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights). This article will focus on Article 25 of the UNDHR and how our increased personal struggles to maintain our standards of living connect us, especially emotionally, with others experiencing similarly.
Refugees are suffering even more so during the cost-of-living crisis¹, where high inflation and budget deficit² means that institutions built to maintain a standard of living whilst they await asylum outcomes are ultimately failing. We can see this in the management of refugees in the UK, for example in recent documentation of atrocities taking place at a processing centre in Kent, where over 4000 people were housed there despite it only being designed to hold a maximum capacity of 1600.³ This illustrates a clear administration problem, breaking not only international standards but breaks UK domestic legislation, where the law states that refugees housed there were to be processed within 24 hours, the investigation finding some had been there for more than 4 weeks.
The rest of the UK are also experiencing limitations, with lots of Britons being stretched incredibly thinly to provide a standard of living for themselves and their families. With inflation rising 11.7% in the 12 months to October 2022, up from 9.3% in September 2022⁴, lots of workers are experiencing real wage cuts, and are having to resort to extreme measures to stay alive. For example, incredibly recent reports have amplified dire personal experiences, such as people eating pet food and heating meals with candles.⁵ This ultimately is putting negative pressure on public services, as more people will be reaching out to social and medical services only to get worse as the Winter deepens.
Both above descriptions illustrate a clear violation of the 25th Article of the UNDHR, stated as follows:
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”⁶
The first thing to note is that in these unprecedented times, it is wholly inappropriate to compare the very different contexts between the general public and refugees as the ‘other’. Rather, instead of creating hierarchy and division, it is more useful to remember our roots as members of humanity and indulge in the idea that we are all inextricably linked by our foundational genetic materials. The fact that a lot of us are experiencing struggle as a basis should ignite a collective strive for at the lowest level, kindness.
As we reach the festive period, these values are only amplified, and I urge you to spread these values to every member of humanity, regardless of contextual differences. We will all be facing relatively worse conditions than we have, probably, in our entire lives. Whilst we wait for the government to get their act together in terms of policy, grassroots solutions lie in community networks, and individual extensions of help to those that need it.
Division only prevents the benefits of collective action.
This Christmas, even the smallest acts of kindness will go a long way.
¹ Isabella Cipirska (5th April 2022), ‘How The Soaring Cost of Living Crisis is Impacting Refugees’, Huck
² “The cost of people seeking asylum being housed in hotels is currently £5.6m per day. This does not include accommodation for Afghan families which is an additional £1.2m per day, the Home Affairs Committee was told last month.” — Kathy Bailes (5th November 2022), ‘Student Accommodation at former uni campus in Broadstairs contracted out to house people seeking asylum’, The Isle of Thanet News
³ Rajeev Syal (23rd November 2022), “Suella Braverman says people coming to UK illegally ‘at fault’ for processing chaos”, The Guardian
⁴ ONS, Consumer Price Inflation, UK: October 2022
⁵ Andy Gregory (1st December 2022), ‘People ‘eating pet food and heating meals with candles’ due to cost of living crisis’, Independent
⁶ UN General Assembly, “Universal declaration of Human Rights” 217 (lll), A Paris, 1948
