On 23 May Wuhan University Institute for Human Rights Studies, China, hosted the webinar on the Rights Protection of Vulnerable Groups in the Pandemic, as a part of the Global Epidemic Prevention & Control and Human Rights Protection Conference Series. Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy of Oslo Metropolitan University and Wuhan East-lake Institute for Social Advancement (our partner institute for the project “Disability Resilience”) co-organized this event. Professor Rune Halvorsen from OsloMet was invited to make the keynote speech Social Consequences of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Europe – How to Reduce Risk of Poverty and Social Exclusion at the beginning of the webinar and shared his observations on how the Covid-19 Pandemic affects persons in precautious positions from the medical and social perspective and what and how social interventions would be required to reduce the risks in the pandemic that the vulnerable groups would take.
This webinar incorporated two panels, namely “Leave No One behind: ensure access to public service for vulnerable groups in the pandemic” and “Justice for all: prevent and remedy discrimination against vulnerable groups in the pandemic”. Experts and researcher in the territory of social policy and law, leaders of disability/human right/social welfare organizations and enterprises from China, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Japan, etc., made presentations on the webinar, analyzing how vulnerable groups within worldwide, such as the elderly, women, immigrants, homeless, children, persons with disabilities, and even intersectionally-vulnerable population like women with disabilities are affected in this pandemic whilst discussing how we can tackle barriers that vulnerable groups would face in healthcare, employment, discrimination from the perspective of governments’ legislation, enterprises’ contribution and international corporation.
This webinar also gained much attention from a vast number of human rights-campaign social media, academic journals, newspapers, magazines, and was live on both Zoom and Tencent Meeting, opening admission for social audience. Noteworthily, through accessible approaches like providing caption and sign language this webinar ensured equal participation for persons with disabilities.
This webinar further highlighted the importance of social protection policies for vulnerable groups in a difficult time and practically inspired us with alternative ways to continue international academic communication. Particularly, this webinar contributed to enhance the corporation between OsloMet and our Chinese partners in the realm of disability and other social policies.
Some of the participants in the webinar
Professor Rune Halvorsen gave the keynote speech
some of the presentations made by scholars and leader of NGO