INTRODUCTION

The cumulative story of humanitarian crisis as unrelenting annihilation understates the

resilience of what sociologists have labelled as everyday life - the worldly routines through
which people enact a shared moral disorder. The study of humanitarian crisis provides a
window in life of unsettled contexts. Crisis can comes in many guises. Sociologists have long
sought to understand poverty, spanning conflicts, natural disaster, infectious disease outbreak
and crime, which can cause disruption of lives just as thoroughly as war.

Now the destruction caused by these factors has various direct and indirect impact causing
not only disruption to the development of country and loss of human life but also widespread
damage to society, stunted economic growth, psychological disorders and injury,
environmental degradation and essentially taking away the integrity of life by causing human
rights abuses and many more.

Humanitarian organizations are challenged today by changes spurred by forces of

globalization and by shifting geopolitical and economic realities. Emergency relief to retort to
natural disasters and provide aid to civilians affected by conflict has dominated the work of a
huge range of humanitarian organizations. Now both systems and principles come under
increasing critical observation as situation and increasing needs are complicated not only by
long initial crises and financial constraints but also by mounting risks linked to weak state
governance and changing climate. Now the question arises that while providing aid and
battling with the crisis, does it comes under the responsibility of humanitarian organization
and the governance system to ensure the human rights of people? It isso questioned because
the aim of public health and rights is to protect the community as a whole, where as human
rights principles are mostly concerned with achieving individual right.

But what are human rights? They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his birth
and humanity. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and
torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.
Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination1.

2019 tosaid to be another arduous year for millions globally as famines, wars and other
disasters loom over several countries.One in every 70 people worldwide is caught up in a
crisis. Crises tend to last longer and be driven by conflict. In 2019, nearly 132 million people
across the world will need humanitarian assistance. Yemen is once again the worst
1
(https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/index.html) (last visited Oct. 10, 2019).
humanitarian crisis in the world while humanitarian needs will remain at exceptionally high
levels in Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South
Sudan2.These are the top countries in need of humanitarian crisis but the list doesn’t ends
here, many countries are recognized whereas many goes unrecognized in the history of
fighting crisis as no aids can be made available to them.

INSTANCE OF HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND CHALLENGES IN SUCH

CRISIS

YEMEN- According to UN, Yemen is facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world right
now. The country has been hit hard by the civil war between the government army and a
rebel group, and poverty is widespread. There is a major shortage of food, healthcare and
fuel, and over 22 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.Since 2015, Yemen has been
entangled in armed conflicts between the Yemeni government,Houthi rebels, and a certain
number of clans, as well as a coalition led by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and
supported by the Yemeni government. The international airport has also incurred major
damage and was closed by the end of 2017. This has further hampered the ability of
organizations to provide emergency humanitarian relief in the country. Theconflict has led
more than three million people to flee and has resulted in the loss of almost 60,000 human
lives. Yemen is also the poorest country in the Middle East. Before the crisis intensified,
approximately 90 percent of the country's food needs were tried and supported through
imports, but the conflicts have made it hard bydisrupting trade and it has worsened the
shortage of food, fuel and other goods in the country.

CONGO- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared their tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40
years on 1 August 2018. The second worst Ebola outbreak of all time, in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), was officially declared an international Public Health
Emergency of International Concern on 17 July 2019, with the head of the World Health
Organization calling for countries to “take notice and redouble our efforts”.Theoutbreak is
occurring in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces 3.It has caused disruption in western
region of Africa in 2014-16 and Africa wasn’t even a fresh from the old wounds when Ebola
has paved its new way to the central Africa.Now such a level headed crisis comes with many
level headed challenges with one of them being denied rights and discrimination.

2
(https://www.unocha.org/es/node/951883) (last visited Oct. 8, 2019).
3
(https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/ebola/drc-2019) (last visited Oct. 1, 2019).
This research paper would try to understand the complexity of humanitarian crisis, and the
destruction it brings along by focusing and discussing the crisis and challenges and
psychological effects are faced by the people affected by Ebola or their near ones in detail
and how efforts are made by various organization and system to overcome such obstacle.
And the most important question that struggles his way to the top here is weather the Ebola
crisis is being used as a means to discriminate and oppress the already aggrieved class. And
also if the Trauma ever ends?

EBOLA: TOOL FOR DISCRIMINATION

Ebola and Outbreak of Ebola-Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola
River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the virus has been
infecting people from time to time, leading to outbreaks in several African countries.
Scientists do not know where Ebola virus comes from. However, based on the nature of
similar viruses, they believe the virus is animal-borne, with bats being the most likely source.
The bats carrying the virus can transmit it to other animals, like apes, monkeys, duikers and

humans4.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but
severe, often fatal illness in humans.Ebola then spreads through human-to-human
transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with:

 Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola

 Objects that have been contaminated with body fluids (like blood, feces, vomit) from
a person sick with Ebola or the body of a person who died from Ebola

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or
confirmed EVD. (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease)

DISCRIMINATION BASED ON COLOR

Ebola is an infectious disease that the world has seen before in more ordinary outbreaks in
Africa. As the devastating Ebola epidemic in West African countries and in Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) has taken a global turn, fear, misinformation and long standing
4
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, What is Ebola Virus
Disease?https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html (last visited Aug 30, 2019).
stigma and discrimination have acted a major contribution to the outbreak and response. An
Ebola epidemic does not only affect physical health, but also has psychosocial implications at
individual, community and international levels, both acutely and in the long term 5. Acute
symptoms at the level of individual can be seen through fear, shame grief and guilt but the
long term symptoms at the international level along with trauma and long term mental health
problem includes stigmatization, leading to grave discrimination and Loss of economic
investment, business, travel and tourism. Now these psychological and mental effects are to
certain extent enhanced by humans and are man-mad. Reports of stigma, discrimination and
blame targeted at communities perceived to be of African descent in other non-African
countries increased due to fear of infection. The fear contributed to a decline in interactions
with countries with widespread transmission, including the provision of resources (e.g. health
workers), economic investment, business, industry, travel and tourism. Health workers
returning from affected countries experienced stigmatization too.

Now the question is it fine for the world to just be silent and ignore the ongoing
stigmatization and discrimination suffered by several people in the name of Ebola? Do
people like us who were infected with such a grave disease or are infected with life or
death threats to be discriminated after all they’ve been through? Now this is not only the
case, people from Africa who aren’t even affected are also discriminated against in the
name of Ebola. To phrase I would say, Ebola is also used as a means to discriminate
against black people or enhance the discrimination, as the disease is associated with Africa
with almost all citizens as black it contributes towards feeding off already existing racism
in western society.
These issues of stigma and discrimination also go beyond the oceans as individual’s deals
with travel and immigration from Africa to other countries. Who wants to be marked at
airport screening point just because you are from Africa of have recently travelled there?
If you are travelling from another part of Africa outside the outbreak, should you be made
to stay home from work, like a woman in North Carolina? This incident took place in
North Carolina a state in USA where a middle school employee isn’t going to be allowed
back at school as soon as she returned from her missionary trip from South Africa.
Despite the science involved, and repeated statements by health officials about Ebola
transmission, public fear in the United States has driven stigmatization and discrimination
against individuals travelling into the United States from the Western African countries most

5
(https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/94/3/15-158543/en/) (last visited Oct. 12, 2019).
affected by the Ebola outbreak, other African nations, and Latin American countries. We
need to act on sound science, not in fear when dealing with Ebola.

Unfortunately, an ever-growing culture of fear and misinformation in the United States is

slowing the pace of quelling the outbreak and is promoting the stigmatization of certain
groups, regardless of facts. Indeed, children of Senegalese descent in New York City were
recently beaten and called “Ebola” by their peers, yet school authorities refused to call the
incident more than a schoolyard fight. A teacher in Kentucky was recently forced to resign
after frightened parents claimed she could transmit Ebola to their children after a mission trip
to Kenya, a country that has reported no Ebola cases and is thousands of miles away from
West Africa.

In 2014, when the Ebola epidemic was at its peak in West Africa, various countries, including
Canada and Australia, restricted the entry of people from the countries affected the most by
the disease into their territory (like Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone). Large airline
companies, such as British Airways and Emirates Airlines, suspended part or all of their
flights to the affected region.Void of plausible scientific or public health justifications, these
measures ignored the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) strong statement against the
adoption of travel restrictions, except for people with the disease and those in direct contact
with them, as such restrictions would obstruct the arrival of aid to the most affected countries,
among other reasons6.The countries adjacent to the epicentre of the crisis closed their borders.
In the case of the Ivory Coast, for example, this measure prevented thousands of Ivorian
refugees in Liberia from returning to their country7.

Racism- An Obstruction for the Human Organizations

With the outbreak of Ebola Virus in the continent of Africa, it has become a very pertinent
issue to ensure that the treatment of this virus is available throughout the territory to the
patients8. The Humanitarian Organisations have been working through the ages for the
betterment of the society, but these organizations sometimes have not been able to achieve
their perspectives in other word “a neglection towards these diseases” for example the
6
Statement on the 2nd meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee Regarding the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West
Africa,http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2014/ebola-2nd-ihr-meeting/en/ (last visited Oct. 5,
2019).
7
Ivorian Returns Resume From Liberia After Ebola Outbreak, http://www.unhcr.org/5674384d6.html (last
visited Oct. 6, 2019).
8
Shivam Bansal &Rasuhan Tara Jaswal, The impact of Pharmaceutical Industry on the Economies of
Developing Nations- A Legal perspective: Myth or Reality? 6 GJDP 83 (2016).
outbreak of Ebola in the Kamina area which is the capital city of Haut- Lomani province in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo as published in a book by WHO

There are different ways of defining neglected diseases. A recent WHO publication describes
them as those diseases that “affect almost exclusively poor and powerless people living in
rural parts of low income countries”. It is this definition, which forms the basis of my work
on neglected diseases. As has been extensively documented, neglected diseases result from
several problems, including:

• Existing medicines and mechanisms for neglected diseases do not always reach people
living in poverty in developing countries. Many of the drugs are too expensive, or are not
available in adequate numbers, or are inaccessible geographically, which is a problem
particularly in rural areas, because there are inadequate health systems to deliver them.

• The so-called 10/90 gap, which refers to the phenomenon whereby only 10% of global
health research is focused on conditions accounting for 90% of the global burden of disease.
Diseases, which occur mainly among poor communities living in developing countries, have
attracted particularly little research and development (R&D). The market mechanism, which
increasingly determines R&D, fails these so-called "neglected diseases" since they do not
promise a good return on investment in R&D. At the same time, there is a crucial failure in
public policy to adequately address this problem

The recent outbreak of Ebola in Congo has been declared the worst outbreak till date, the
World Health Organization has declared it as a Human Rights Emergency, but this is not the
only problem faced by these organizations the biggest issue faced by them is the Racism, the
recent example of Ivory Coast, where the authorities denied the entry to those black people
who were not even effected with the Ebola, has raised a serious doubt on the very basic
principle of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, another reported incident was of a
migrant who was denied treatment for the Ebola because he was from Africa and they are
born to suffer from such diseases and no cure could be made ever, so by going this logic a
sarcastic statement can be made “Black are the best testers for the epidemic”

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) lie at the core of the international human rights
regime's recent development. As United Nations (UN) then the Secretary General Kofi
Annan emphasized, "Building strong human rights institutions at the country level is what in
the long run will ensure that human rights are protected and advanced in a sustained
manner”9. One of the basic assumptions made in dealing with human rights is the existence
of universal norms that govern the way in which human beings ought to deal with other
human beings. This assumption lies at the bottom of all debates on human rights. It is on this
assumption that the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, a declaration which contains principles that are supposed to
apply universally to all people, at all times, and under any circumstances10.

The declaration recognizes the inherent human dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of
all people as basic to freedom, justice, and world peace. It contains fundamental principles
such as the right to life, the right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment, and the right not to be subjected to arbitrary arrest,
detention or exile11. And this particular racism has only double the problems for the
organizations, and this type of attitude and treatment will lead the world back to the Stone
Ages.

Such type of discrimination can only be tackled if the UNO or other organizations takes suo
moto cognizance of such offence and imposes a heavy ban on such violators, various
programs should be organized to make public aware of such gross violation of human rights.
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which is celebrated on the 21 st
day of March every year is one such type of awareness movement.

CONCLUSION
The researchers have tried to establish that the outbreak of Ebola apart from
health issues have also created a discrimination based on colouras a “black”
disease which is a shear violation of Human Rights enshrined under
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has created a big concern for the
Human Rights Organizations to provide for a treatment as highlighted by the
Researchers various instances in the paper the treatment is not given because

9
Dongwook Kim, International Nongovernmental Organizations and the Global Diffusion of National Human
Rights Institution, 47 CUP 505 (2013).
10
Peter R. Baher, Concern for Development and Fundamental and Human Rights: The Dilemma as faced by
Netherlands, 4 HRQ 49 (1982).
11
Ibid.
 of such primitive thinking. And time has come to stop such discrimination
because life is more important than colour.

SPECIAL REFERENCES

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Fear. The Washington Post. 2014 Oct 16. Available from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/west-
africans-in-washington-say-they-are-being-stigmatized-because-of-ebola-fear/2014/10/16/39442d18-54c6-
11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html. 
3. Delaney A. Justice Department warns against Ebola discrimination. Huffington Post. 2014 Dec 15.
Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/ebola-justice-department_n_6329660.html.
4. Martinez M. National debate: weighing returning Ebola workers' liberty, public safety. CNN. 2014 Oct 31.
Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/30/us/ebola-health-workers-controversy.