Dr Christy Shucksmith-Wesley presents at University College Cork

On 5 October 2022, Dr Christy Shucksmith-Wesley was an invited speaker at the University College Cork, Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR). Christy spoke on 'An Assessment of the International Response to Covid-19'. This research seminar presentation supports a forthcoming new edition of the Elgar Research Handbook on Disasters and International Law. 

For some people, Covid-19 presents as a triple pandemic, in terms of being a health, psychological and socioeconomic pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic “laid bare how marginalization and inequality intersect with risk: the vulnerable are those most affected” and “demonstrated that national preparedness and response systems are often insufficiently developed and require greater flexibility, especially regarding those most at risk.” Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact “those already marginalized by structural barriers and gender inequalities before the pandemic.” As we reflect on the response to Covid-19, this seminar will allowed us to consider to what extent did the ‘quick’ response(s) to Covid-19 exacerbate inequalities and vulnerabilities across key protected characteristics?