Hostage Situation And Its Resolution In Ethiopia

The article describes the characteristics of the negotiation of meaning (NOM) in oral interaction between native Spanish speakers and Chinese immigrant speakers of Spanish by assessing the context through 15 recordings, in which the candidates orally interacted with their interviewers. The goals of the research were to observe whether, in this context, NOM occurs; identify and classify the most frequent negotiation strategies of meaning in terms of their function; determine whether reactive negotiation strategies or preventive strategies predominate; establish which of the two interlocutors leads the negotiation; and determine whether this negotiation is effective. It has been observed that NOM is present in 11.21% of the total number of conversational turns (n= 4,379). The most frequently used strategies were confirmation check, comprehension check response, and confirmation. Of the strategies used (n= 491) by participants and interviewers to negotiate the meaning in this context, 64.95% was of a preventive nature. The NOM was effective in 90.02% of the cases.

Ransom discipline is paramount for kidnap insurance and provides wider social benefits. Outsize ransoms can trigger a vicious cycle of kidnappings, hostage abuse, and ransom inflation. Crisis responders have developed a robust bargaining protocol to stabilize ransoms and incentivize cooperative behaviour by kidnappers. Kidnappers only release hostages when they think they have extracted the maximum available ransom. This requires that hostage stakeholders send psychologically costly signals to convince kidnappers that their funds are exhausted. However, if hostage stakeholders believe that there is a trade-off between time and money in a hostage negotiation, the bargaining protocol creates the (false) impression of a principal–agent problem between professional negotiators and stakeholders. Managing the resulting suspicion and distrust is as important as shaping the negotiation with the kidnappers.

This paper seeks to examine the possible benefits and losses that could accrue from linking human rights and development. The paper was prepared using a desktop research wherein various previous articles were examined to ascertain the extent to which the link between the human rights and development discourses is espoused. There have been growing debates regarding linking Human rights and Development. Leading multilateral development institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Bank have also embraced the Human Rights- Development nexus. Considering the fact that both these discourses have existed in parallel for a very long time an attempt to merge them is likely to be met with some measure of resistance or acceptance. Therefore, this paper seeks to evaluate the extent to which the link between Human Rights and Development adds value or loss to the development agenda. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p475

Reviewed by: Bureaucratic Intimacies: Translating Human Rights in Turkey by Elif M. Babül Elif Ege* (bio) Elif M. Babül, Bureaucratic Intimacies: Translating Human Rights in Turkey (Stanford University Press 2017), ISBN 9781503601895, 230 pages. Building upon her seven years (2007 to 2014) of ethnographic fieldwork in human rights training programs, in her book Bureaucratic Intimacies: Translating Human Rights in Turkey, Elif M. Babül examines the globally acclaimed concept "human rights" and its daily configurations manifested by government officials such as judges, prosecutors, police officers, prison guards, teachers, religious officials, and health care professionals. Turkey's candidacy to the European Union (EU) membership started in 1999, and from then on the country pursued the integration process to enforce the EU standards of human rights.1 The human rights training programs that Babül's book focuses on are part of this integration process. For Babül, these programs functioned as spaces of encounter between government workers and transnational human rights regimes. She convincingly argues that training programs enable the "translation"2 of the human rights standards in order to address local issues. Yet these programs also depoliticize these standards in order to navigate the "foreignness" attached to these standards in the nationalist imagery of the government workers, by redefining them as necessary requirements to achieve expertise, professional development, and good governance. According to Babül, in doing so, these training programs have failed to contest the existing authoritarian bureaucratic structures that pave the way for major human rights violations, such as ethnic violence, forced migration, and disappearances. While analyzing the training programs, Babül moves beyond the clear-cut separations of the conventional understanding of pedagogy that builds a hierarchy between the educated and non-educated, and teacher and learner. Instead, she emphasizes "dialectical encounters that generate contradiction and resistance."3 According to her, these training practices operate as "dialogical processes"4 that are full of negotiations, contestations, and uncertainties, where the government workers actively take part in challenging and reframing these supposedly "standard" universal standards in line with their local conditions, social and political interests, and "sensitivities, moralities and rationalities that shape the governmental field in Turkey."5 In this sense, her ethnographic method enables the scholar to pay special attention to the interactions and exchanges of different actors, rather than rely on a top-down analysis of human rights standards and [End Page 474] their implementations. This choice is particularly useful for the Turkish context, considering the prevalent nationalist reactions against the discourse of human rights and its European/Western "experts" that claim them to be foreign impositions. Although recently the state has undertaken the responsibility of the institutionalization of human rights discourse—through "a liberal reclamation"6—the prevalent nationalist reactionary discourse in Turkey has defined human rights as "a cover for treacherous activity against the indivisibility of the nation and the state."7 Babül contextualizes this understanding within the country's political and economic history (particularly after the 1980s coup d'etat). As a recipient of foreign aid and structural adjustment policies, Turkey has been required to follow the standards of human rights and women's rights in order to gain the necessary funds.8 As in other contexts from the Global South,9 this has created the feeling of human rights standards as being a foreign influence on the sovereignty of the state. Babül alludes to this neocolonial aspect of human rights training programs while tracing the history of the training programs in the third chapter, where she emphasizes the role played by the Western military-industrial complex in designing these training programs. However, while doing so, the scholar does not exempt the government workers in Turkey from responsibility as she successfully implements a balanced analysis that holds the government officials accountable for their human rights violations, while also emphasizing global asymmetries of power. Throughout the book, Babül underlines the ways in which these national sensitivities around human rights discourse play a role in building "bureaucratic intimacies"10 where government workers, in different levels and formats, collectively take part in conducting, sharing, and withholding "public secrets," meaning major violations of human rights, for the "continuation/perpetuity of the state."11...

The article explains the content and characterizes the parliamentary control over the observance of the rights and liberties of human and citizen, including military personnel. It is determined that parliamentary control over the observance of human and civil rights and liberties in Ukraine is provided by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The study analyzes the emergence of such an institution in the world and Ukraine. The goal of parliamentary control over the observance of the rights and and liberties of human citizen has been established. It is determined that the Commissioner can appoint its representatives and states that representatives from different directions and specific issues, as well as regional representative offices, operate in Ukraine. It is proposed to expand specialized representative offices in order to strengthen the protection of certain social groups. Attention is focused on the fact that the introduction of a representative of the Human Rights Ombudsman in the system of security and defense and procedural rights is important and relevant. However, it is noted that such representation provides for the implementation of parliamentary control in two different areas of legal regulation, and also includes a very wide range of control over the subjects of the security and defense sector. At the same time, it is certified that over the past two years, the number of applications of military to the Commissioner has decreased significantly. It is proposed to create a representative office of the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel in order to properly ensure the effective protection of this category of people following the example of the functioning of military ombudsmen in foreign countries. The analysis of instruments, methods and acts of response, including: the right to accept appeals and open proceedings in the case; submit annual and special reports, as well as constitutional submission to the Constitutional Court and submissions to public authorities and other government bodies and officials. However, it is noted that the legislation of Ukraine has shortcomings affecting the activities of the Ombudsman, namely that the response acts are advisory in nature and do not determine the legal consequences of the response. In addition, the opinion on granting the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights the right of legislative initiative was supported. Based on the study of the problem raised, it was concluded that the Ombudsman's institution is an important mechanism for protecting the violated rights and liberties of human and citizen, including military personnel, at the same time it has a number of shortcomings and problematic issues and needs further study and improvement.

Vulnerable social groups can be recognized in everyday life, and local legal regulations identify them as well. Strategies and laws clearly identify the increased needs of vulnerable groups. Local legislation, for example, observes comparative law trends and attempts to prevent discrimination of persons with disabilities, emphasizes their human rights and creates the legal framework for taking these persons out of the institutional form of protection and including them into the community. In Serbia however, strategies and laws, as well as by-laws, are written in sectors, and not in cross-sectors manner. Proper caring for persons with disabilities, including persons with mental disabilities, requires an integral approach, namely a mutual approach of the social, health, educational and other sectors. True enough, local regulations stress the need for an intersectional approach, but such an approach is scantily applied in practice, so the comprehensive care that would satisfy the multiple needs of persons with mental disabilities often turns out to be less than expected in the community. Pursuant to national laws and basic ethic principals, all citizens of the Republic of Serbia have the right to health protection without discrimination. Therefore, methods for using health protection, easier than the existing ones, should be found for certain vulnerable groups, depending on their characteristics, and so for the Roma as well, and bearing in mind that systemic health regulations in Serbia open the door to special treatment of these groups. The inaccessible approach to health care of the Roma population persists primarily due to insufficient basic health documentation and basic personal documentation. Personal documents are linked with the registered place of residence, which the Roma, largely do not have. The problem is thus on a wider scale and is not only focused on the health sector. As such, it requires a wider, intersectional approach and a coordinated solution to the problem. In the field of palliative care of terminally ill persons, a solution is on the way to be reached through the Strategy for Palliative Care, by reorganizing the health system. The health system as it is cannot fulfill the needs of persons requiring palliative care. Coextensive systems enable establishing hospices as charity organizations in the non-governmental sector, mainly financed from donations. They represent a support to the health system in taking care of terminally ill patients. For now, our legal system does now allow non-governmental organizations to engage in health activities, although there were initiatives in that direction. To some extent, national regulations offer a basis for treatment of patients with rare illnesses, but without specifying their rights to a diagnosis or treatment and without more detailed regulations on the allocation of funds directed towards diagnosing rare illnesses and treatment of the ill. A lack of legal and financial prerequisites makes them subject to discrimination. The very fact that a large number of these patients are children makes them twice as endangered category of population. The legal system has recently started dealing with a regulation that would support persons suffering from rare illnesses, but the implementation of these provisions has still not completely become a reality. The Law on Health Care and Insurance defines children and women in their reproductive period as an especially vulnerable group. The Law on Rights to Healthcare for Children, Pregnant Women and Women on Maternity Leave, has recently been brought. The Law has been brought with an aim of ensuring rights to health care and transportation costs benefits for children, pregnant women and mothers during maternity leave, regardless of the basis on which they have health insurance. The reason for bringing such a law is noble, but the form of the legal act, which was supposed to realize the set goal, was overemphasized and contributed to the already existing over-norming of Serbian legislature. The legal basis for regulating this issue already existed in the umbrella health laws and should have been realized through by-law regulations.

The article analyzes the intersection of universal and regional human rights concepts in Latin America. The regional approach to human rights protection has been proposed by anthropologists who argue that cultural relativism is the basis for the development of the concept of human rights protection. The evolution of human rights is examined by scholars through the prism of both cultural relativism and universalism. While proponents of the first approach assert the importance of cultural and civilizational particularities, proponents of universalism promote the idea of universal morality. The novelty of this study lies in the examination of a different academic approach to human rights protection that encompasses features of both of the aforementioned concepts in order to provide a more objective picture of the current state of the system of human rights protection. The interaction of these concepts is demonstrated through the example of the system for the protection of women's rights in Latin America, as well as of the rights of other vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples. This leads to the conclusion that both the universalist and the regionalist approaches to human rights protection are mutually supportive. Furthermore, universal and local moral systems borrow elements from each other despite the contradictions between them. In general, the interaction between universalization and regionalization of human rights is clearly visible in Latin America. The elaboration of a new approach that incorporates the features of the two old ones is necessary in order to better understand this process, since human rights protection is acquiring new features that fit into the so-called paradigm of relative universalism. An explanatory model to account for this phenomenon is needed for better understanding of the common patterns of the process.

The article reveals the issues of defining terms (concepts and definitions) in gender legislation. The author pays special attention to the definition of the term «vulnerable groups» and the definition of «women from vulnerable groups».The purpose of the study is to analyze certain terms and get acquainted with international experience in order to use certain initiatives in Ukrainian legislation to achieve gender equality. The term of vulnerable groups exists in everyday life,but there is no unified term and a clear understanding of what categories are attributed to women from vulnerable groups. Existing research, current Ukrainian and European legislation, and international human rights practice conclude that it is vulnerable groups of populations are most prone to discrimination. For such categories of persons, discrimination may contain signs of plurality, namely exacerbated by signs of ethnicity, disability, age, and so on. Scrutinize approach to determining the criteria for women’s vulnerability will allow to provide better social services that will be targeted at certain categories of people to achieve the best results. It is important to develop comprehensive measures that address the problems and needs of certain categories of people and groups. The introduction of targeted approaches to implement the specific needs of each group are necessary measures. In the course of the research the Ukrainian legislation and international practice on defining the term vulnerable categories of persons and women from vulnerable groups were analyzed. Ensuring equality of rights is especially important for women from vulnerable groups. Therefore, determining which categories of women can be classified as «vulnerable» is a necessary component of the legal framework.The practical significance of this article is the need to determine the category of women from vulnerable groups and vulnerability criteria. A clear normative definition will provide a better understanding of the needs of such groups and take special measures to ensure their rights in a targeted and effective manner. Keywords: women from vulnerable groups, legislation on gender equality, vulnerable categories of persons, terms in gender legislation.

Background: COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts were abrupt and challenging for most countries with the protracted lockdown straining socioeconomic activities. Marginalized groups and individuals are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of the pandemic such as human rights abuses and violations which can lead to psychological distress. In this review, we focus on mental distress and disturbances that have emanated due to human rights restrictions and violations amidst the pandemic. We underscore how mental health is both directly impacted by the force of pandemic and by prevention and mitigation structures put in place to combat the disease.Methods: We conducted a review of relevant studies examining human rights violations in COVID-19 response, with a focus on vulnerable populations, and its association with mental health and psychological well-being. We searched PubMed and Embase databases for studies between December 2019 to July 2020. Three reviewers evaluated the eligibility criteria and extracted data.Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the systematic inquiry reporting on distress due to human rights violations. Unanimously, the studies found vulnerable populations to be at a high risk for mental distress. Limited mobility rights disproportionately harmed psychiatric patients, low-income individuals, and minorities who were at higher risk for self-harm and worsening mental health. Healthcare workers suffered negative mental health consequences due to stigma and lack of personal protective equipment and stigma. Other vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and refugees also experienced negative consequences.Conclusions: This review emphasizes the need to uphold human rights and address long term mental health needs of populations that have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. Countries can embed a proactive psychosocial response to medical management as well as in existing prevention strategies. International human rights guidelines are useful in this direction but an emphasis should be placed on strengthening rights informed psychosocial response with specific strategies to enhance mental health in the long-term. We underscore that various fundamental human rights are interdependent and therefore undermining one leads to a poor impact on the others. We strongly recommend global efforts toward focusing both on minimizing fatalities, protecting human rights, and promoting long term mental well-being.

Does the western world still take human rights seriously?

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the problems of ensuring proper medical care for persons deprived of liberty through the prism of international human rights protection standards and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. It is substantiated that the quality and accessibility of medical care in penitentiary institutions constitute one of the key indicators of adherence to the rule of law, respect for human dignity, and the effectiveness of the state human rights protection system. Particular emphasis is placed on the heightened vulnerability of persons held in places of detention, given their complete dependence on state institutions in matters of health care. Based on an analysis of the judgments of the ECtHR, in particular in cases against Ukraine, the main criteria of “adequate medical care” in conditions of deprivation of liberty are identified. These include timely access to a physician, proper diagnosis, continuity and effectiveness of treatment, as well as the compatibility of detention conditions with prisoners’ medical needs. It is demonstrated that the formal provision of medical procedures without achieving a real clinical outcome does not meet the standards of Article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The article analyzes Ukrainian national legislation in the field of medical care for convicted persons and establishes that, despite its formal compliance with international standards, the practice of its implementation remains problematic. Systemic shortcomings of penitentiary medicine are identified, including the institutional dependence of medical staff on prison administrations, insufficient funding and shortages of specialized personnel, outdated material and technical resources, and the ineffectiveness of national legal remedies. On the basis of generalizing the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and international recommendations, the article proposes key directions for improving the system of medical care for persons deprived of liberty. These include completing the integration of penitentiary medicine into the civilian health care system, ensuring the genuine implementation of the principle of equivalence of medical care, strengthening guarantees of the professional independence of physicians, and enhancing the role of judicial and non-judicial oversight. It is concluded that the implementation of these measures is a necessary condition for fulfilling Ukraine’s international obligations and reducing the number of human rights violations in places of detention. Keywords: medical care, penal institutions, human rights, deprivation of liberty, European Court of Human Rights, penitentiary medicine, health care, vulnerable groups, mental health, continuity of care, legal protection mechanisms, international standards, penitentiary system reform.

The eastern European and central Asian (EECA) region is facing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world with 160,000 (130,000–180,000) people newly acquiring HIV in 2021, an overall 48% increase in the number of new acquisitions, and a 32% rise in AIDS-related deaths over the past 10 years [1]. The World Health Organization East European region is estimated to accommodate 1.4 million people living with HIV (PWH), with the majority of new transmissions reported to occur locally and to be unrelated to cross-country migrations [2, 3]. Sadly, according to UNAIDS, in 2022 only 62% of people living in the EECA region were aware of their HIV status and 51% of PWH received HIV treatment, which resulted in an overall viral suppression rate of 48% [1]. Common (>50%) late diagnoses (with either AIDS-defining condition or CD4+ T cell count <350 cells/µl at presentation) [4] further add to the epidemiological issues and complexity of client management [5]. Although the key acquisition risk in the region has changed from unsafe injection practices to heterosexual transmission, access to opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and needle and syringe programmes is often still limited (Kazakhstan) or unavailable (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), which results in OAT regional coverage as low as 4%, far below the UNAIDS target of 50%. Furthermore, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and combination prevention services are of limited availability or not formally implemented across multiple countries in the region usually due to financial barriers to access, such as lack of state funding for medicines, limited technical capacity or cost of service delivery [6]. This results in a substantially larger HIV PrEP gap (the proportion of populations at risk of acquiring HIV "very likely" to use PrEP if accessible, compared with the proportion currently using PrEP) across countries located in the EECA region (up to 45%) compared to the overall median of 17.4% estimate for the European Union [7]. Moreover, there is a high level of stigma across the countries, especially against gay men and other men who have sex with men. The growing epidemic and the suboptimal access to prevention, testing and treatment are the main reasons that challenge the 2030 targets. The humanitarian crisis related to the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine has challenged the situation even further hindering testing and treatment efforts, forcing both internal displacement (estimated 3.7 million) and external migration of locals as refugees (estimated 6.4 million, as of March 2024) [8]. On top of massive casualties, civilian and healthcare infrastructures were destroyed, forcing refugees to seek safety, protection and assistance, including continued access to medical care. Ukraine is home to ∼260,000 PWH with >130,000 on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Although significant progress was made in the response to the HIV epidemic in Ukraine before the outbreak of war resulting in a 47% reduction in HIV incidence and an 81% reduction in AIDS mortality, the war has significantly affected the HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programmes, with internal displacement resulting in diminished service capacity, difficulty in ART provision and reduction in prevention services [9]. Despite notable hardship, Ukraine managed to maintain full access to ART, increased OAT rollout by 38% (reaching >27,000 people) and doubled the number of people on PrEP, which is now available free of charge [10]. A large proportion of the studies published in this supplement focus on Ukraine and the responses given during the war, providing good examples of resilience and strength and reflecting personal experiences in the setting of mass trauma. Mass traumas are especially important from the perspective of PWH, as these may bring out stress and exacerbate mental health issues. Owczarzak et al. analyse the bioecological model of mass trauma in the context of the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine among PWH with a history of injecting substance use [11]. This study reported the results of 18 interviews with people from four Ukrainian cities in autumn 2022. The study not only outlines personal experiences but also confirms the deep impact of war on the personal and healthcare-related wellbeing of participants, the necessity to respond to the triggering situations, such as the decrease in work opportunities, incremental costs and the necessity for internal displacement. All these factors were shown to be affecting ART access, adherence and general access to healthcare. Lazarus et al. analysed the non-governmental organization (NGO) response during the war and described service provision for key populations in Ukraine, using a mixed-methods project among geographically dispersed non-governmental (n = 24) and governmental (n = 2) organizations representing several Ukrainian regions [12]. Their analysis outlines the impact of the war on NGO work, including HIV prevention and treatment in a time when humanitarian aid is critical. Following the initial shock and the terror of war, the majority of the organizations quickly resumed work, limiting the duration of cessation of services, optimizing response and reallocating work to available staff. This study provides a strong story of resilience and support emphasizing the key work of NGOs in healthcare responses during unfortunate "big events" such as war. The topic of human rights and the context of war in Ukraine is further expanded by Lohman et al. by presenting an assessment related to human rights barriers to the prevention and treatment of HIV and TB [13]. The study consisted of a series of assessments covering the period of the Russian invasion and outbreak of war aiming to examine the progress in the scale-up and outcomes of human rights programmes. The paper describes an implementation learning evaluation using 25 interviews with programme implementers, community advocates and government officials, representing 14 organizations. Interview data clearly reflect the reduction of stigma in several domains, including a decrease in the proportion of PWH who faced unauthorized disclosure in the social environment (−19%), a reduction in the number of reported verbal abuses/personal threats (−13%) and improvement (+33%) in the perceived confidentiality of medical records. The war resulted in the expansion of regional coverage of legal and advocacy programmes and services, allowing a large number of the population to maintain access to key services. Ukraine is also one of few countries in the EECA region that have implemented numerous combination prevention programmes including HIV PrEP, where adherence remains challenging. In the follow-up of the study on oral daily PrEP with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)/emtricitabine (FTC) [14] in 199 people who inject drugs (PWID) in Ukraine with or without the use of text reminders, Morozova et al. analysed longitudinal reported adherence patterns coupled with the measurement of tenofovir diphosphate and emtricitabine triphosphate in dried blood spots from study participants as objective measures of adherence [15]. The study enrolled people who have been injecting drugs for longer than 20 years (37%) with a high proportion of alcohol use (67%) and >50% with moderate to severe depression. In this highly challenging group, the perceived adherence was high to moderate in >90% of the cases with 81% reporting to take more than 95% of their TDF/FTC doses. Alarmingly, data from the dried blood spot metabolite analysis revealed the reality to be divergent from patient-reported adherence with >50% of participants without detectable TDF/FTC metabolite levels. This study provides unique data confirming the divergence between perceived and measured adherence among PWID, indicating that novel telemedicine or online interventions in combination prevention of HIV can be particularly useful in marginalized or difficult-to-reach populations. Migrants from central Asia moving to central eastern countries to work are disproportionately affected by HIV and sexually transmitted infections due to high-level stigma and poor working conditions, and have lower or no access to the health system and prevention tools compared to other groups. Kovtun et al. [16] focused on human rights violations related to sexual orientation, gender identity (SOGI), and HIV in six countries in eastern Europe, Caucasus and central Asia in 2022 (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan), which have a background of a rapidly rising HIV epidemic, strict social and religious norms, high level of stigma and discrimination associated with sexual and gender minorities and HIV, and regional conflict. Using the Rights—Evidence—ACTion (REAct) tool, they analysed the data on rights violations upon complaints from gay and bisexual men who have sex with men and transgender women. The strikingly higher numbers of rights violations and violations solely based on SOGI in Ukraine compared to the Caucasus and central Asian countries suggest that despite all the achievements made in the country in the last decade in terms of harm reduction, testing, and access to ART and care, stigma and discrimination still prevails in the country. The effect of the recent war in Ukraine was also evident with more human rights violations by police and military staff, denials of private or social services, refusals of temporary accommodation services and denial of border crossings. The results of this study underscore the diversity of the region in terms of stigma, discrimination and human rights violations. Mackesy-Amiti et al. define a social intervention that aimed to reduce high-risk behaviours for HIV among Tajik migrants who inject drugs working in the Russian Federation [17]. This was a cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing the network-based, peer educator training with the general health education training. Male Tajik migrants were recruited as peer educators and trained on how to reduce personal risk for HIV acquisition and to deliver knowledge to peers. The interviews showed that the baseline percentages of binge drinking, condomless sex, and syringe and equipment sharing behaviours were considerably high, and needle cleaning behaviour and HIV testing were extremely low in both peer educators and peers. There was a significant reduction in needle-sharing behaviour following study intervention, but a modest effect on sexual behaviour. This study suggests that interventions tailored to the needs of specific groups and the inclusion of peers may be effective even in populations that are hard to reach. Stigma-associated issues were also addressed by Davis et al. who used a citizen science approach to address HIV-related stigma and increase HIV testing in adolescents and young adults in Kazakhstan [18]. These populations were called to develop digital materials, which would be assessed and rated in a contest with the aim to reduce HIV-related stigma and promote HIV self-testing. The submitted materials were judged by a board including peers of the contestants, healthcare professionals and representatives of NGOs, and highly rated submissions were awarded. Adolescents and young adults showed a high level of interest in the project both as contestants, which resulted in a high number of submissions, and as board members providing input in the development and implementation of the study, running social media procedures, creating promotional materials and providing feedback on the submission system. Inclusion of the community stimulated collaboration among adolescents and young adults, and increased knowledge of HIV-related stigma and the importance of HIV testing. Lastly, a study also from Kazakhstan on adherence to ART among PWH in association with mental health and cognitive disorders was presented by Mergenova et al. [19]. The size of the HIV epidemic in this country is increasing with the majority of acquisitions reported among people who inject psychoactive substances. The authors performed a cross-sectional questionnaire-based analysis of 230 PWH on stable (>6 months) ART, with the assessment of self-reported ART adherence in addition to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and cognitive and memory assessments. Notably, a third of the patients reported a history of mental illness, while only 25% reported injection drug use and 17% hazardous alcohol drinking. Moreover, mild depression or anxiety was reported in 20−32%, while in 6−10%, these mood disorders were at least moderate including PTSD symptoms observed in 7% of cases. Not surprisingly, these symptoms were associated with lower adherence—missing ART was more likely among participants with mild or moderate depressive symptoms, mild or moderate anxiety symptoms, PTSD symptoms or forgetfulness. On the contrary, better cognitive function was associated with better adherence to therapy. This study emphasizes the need for precise and regular assessment of not only ART but also mental health and cognitive function for better care of PWH in order to tailor specific responses and to provide mental health support for improving treatment adherence and maintaining optimal viral suppression rates. The long history of neglecting HIV in EECA resulted in rapid increases of transmissions. The high number of PWID and migrants who are disproportionately affected by HIV and the unique characteristics of each country with different cultures, beliefs and structures challenge the long-term efforts to address the epidemic. This supplement on the HIV epidemic in eastern Europe and central Asia presents a story of resilience, continued efforts to improve human rights, and innovative approaches to combination prevention, and summarizes key challenges related to stigma and other societal issues. While continuing these efforts, further international support, commitment and collaboration will be vital to achieve the new goals for 2030 to end AIDS in the region. The authors declare no competing interests. MP and DG jointly drafted and revised the editorial. All the authors read and approved the final version. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the authors who prepared, submitted and revised manuscripts in response to this supplement request. We are grateful to all the research participants who volunteered to take part in studies in this supplement. We are also thankful to our co-Guest Editor, Dr Andriy Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health, for his valuable role in the conceptualization and development of this supplement. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this supplement and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions or policies of the institutions with which they are affiliated. Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is far from the end, vaccinations have become an inevitable alternative in combating this pandemic. According to the WHO, COVID-19 vaccines are considered public goods. Consequently, they should be distributed equally to the citizens as the fulfillment of the right to health. This study aimed to analyze how COVID-19 vaccinations in Indonesia have been practiced. Also, it examined the government’s responsibility to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are distributed equally in reflecting distributive justice by enquiring to what extent the government’s policy on independent vaccination relates to the fulfillment of human rights. This study used a legal research method based on a literature review. This study showed that some aspects of the vaccination are under distributive justice and welfare state. However, the Gotong Royong vaccination policy does not refer to distributive justice and the welfare state, resulting in injustice, discrimination, and economic inequality because it only provides certain privileged citizens access to vaccines. Therefore, the government needs to reconsider the Gotong Royong vaccination, focusing on accelerating the vaccination system for vulnerable individuals and groups.&#x0D; KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Right to Health, Social Justice, Vulnerable Groups.

Introduction: the article is devoted to the current and future impact of digital technologies, thanks to which remote work and location-based platform employment have emerged, and also the impact of artificial intelligence technologies and neurotechnologies on the labor relations that involve vulnerable groups of workers, including legal relations in the field of employment. Purpose: to describe approaches to the understanding of vulnerability in economics, sociology, and legal science, to trace the impact of digi-tal technologies on labor and employment of vulnerable groups, and to identify issues and risks. Methods:the methodological basis of the research consists of universal, general scientific methods as well as some special methods (system-structural, formal-legal, comparative legal methods). Results: vulnerability is correlated with poverty, and both monetary and non-monetary approaches to the phenomenon of po-verty are described; vulnerability is considered in the context of the concept of social exclusion, which fo-cuses on the breakdown of social ties. From a legal perspective, the approach applied in the study is based on the assumption that vulnerability of an individual or social group is associated with a higher (compared to others) risk of becoming a victim of human rights violations, including being limited in the ability to exercise the rights and freedoms guaranteed to everyone. The perceptions of vulnerability de-velop primarily in international law. At the national level, vulnerability of certain social groups is inter-branch in nature, which is manifested in exemptions and preferences established for them by both pri-vate and public branches of law. In Russian labor law, the term ‘vulnerable groups’ is not used, although, in actual fact, it forms the basis for differentiating the legal regulation of labor of certain categories of workers. The differentiation of the legal status of vulnerable groups is associated with the manifestation of the compensatory function of the welfare state. Conclusions: the use of digital technologies does not automatically bring advantages and benefits to vulnerable groups, but in the absence of adequate regu-lation can greatly increase social inequality and discrimination. It is advisable to develop the legal regula-tion of remote work performed by vulnerable groups of workers toward internal differentiation, taking into account their specific needs. Rights and guarantees, at least in the field of occupational safety and health, should be progressively extended to those employed on location-based platforms. It is necessary to include location-based workers in social insurance systems; provide them with an expanded range of rights and guarantees in the world of work. The risks of artificial intelligence, neurotechnologies, and workplace automation being introduced are currently associated with the deepening and scaling of dis-crimination, as well as with an imperceptible replacement of labor relations by precarious employment, which may affect vulnerable groups of workers the most. The paper proposes directions for improving legal regulation in this area. An assumption is made that the mass introduction of neurotechnology in the future will change the understanding of the nature of vulnerability and its criteria.

This research investigates the relationship between law enforcement and the protection of Human Rights in the context of public administration in Indonesia. Qualitative research methods were used to gain a deep understanding of policy implementation and the interaction between law enforcement and human rights protection. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with government officials, human rights activists, academics, and community members directly affected by public policies. The findings indicate that law enforcement continues to face significant challenges such as lack of resources, low institutional capacity, and corruption practices. On the other hand, while there have been improvements in recognizing basic rights, complexities remain in human rights protection, particularly concerning discrimination and abuse of power by authorities. Research recommendations suggest strengthening institutional legal capacity, enhancing transparency, fostering more active community participation, and engaging in cross-sector dialogues to strengthen fair law enforcement and inclusive human rights protection in public administration.