States are advised to ensure the “free flow of information” during emergencies, as this “protects life and health and enables and promotes critical social, economic, political and other policy discussions and decision-making.”81 Freedom of expression includes the right to seek and receive information and to express opinions and ideas of all kinds and through various media.82 In emergencies, the right to access information held by public authorities, the right to access the Internet and the protection of independent media are of special concern. Restrictions on the right to receive information can impinge on the enjoyment of other human rights, such as the right to health and the right to security of person (in the context of gender-based violence, for example). Freedom of opinion and expression Examples of impacts on women: • During health crises, states must convey information about public health risks (concerning pandemics, this includes information on symptoms, risk of contamination, prevention measures, what to do if a person is ill, etc.) using varied media to ensure that such information is accessible to all people. In some contexts, women have low levels of education and literacy (including digital literacy). This is the case, for example, for Roma and Sinti women in Europe, who are more likely than Roma and Sinti men to have never attended school and to be unable to read.83 In these circumstances, information that is not broadcast in minority languages or is only distributed in written form (printed materials or online)84 results in some women being denied the right to critical information. • Informing the population about emergency measures entails making information available about the scope of limitations on essential services. If adequate information is not conveyed to women who faced challenges in accessing such services before the crisis or emergency arose, their ability to exercise their other rights, such as the right to healthcare, will be impeded. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, women with disabilities have reported that, because they had not received information about how healthcare services would be distributed or rationed, they assumed they would not be given priority for services or treatments related to their pre-existing health issues.85 81 82 83 84 85 UNHRC, “Disease Pandemics and the Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression”, 23 April 2020, para. 6, <https://undocs.org/A/HRC/44/49>. This right can only be restricted in limited circumstances, such as for the protection of national security, public order or public health. See: ICCPR, Art. 19, <https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx>. See: FRA, “Analysis of FRA Roma Survey Results by Gender”, 18 September 2013, <https://fra.europa.eu/en/ publication/2013/analysis-fra-roma-survey-results-gender>. In some countries, information in Romani language was limited, although there are also examples of the use of community health workers and a website with videos in Romani to convey information. See: FRA, “Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak in the EU – Fundamental Rights Implications – Bulgaria” and “Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak in the EU - Fundamental Rights Implications – Slovakia”, 7 April 2020, <https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2020/ covid19-rights-impact-april-1#TabPubStudies>. These findings refer to respondents in the United States. See: Women Enabled International, “COVID-19 at the Intersection of Gender and Disability: Findings of a Global Human Rights Survey, March to April 2020”, op. cit., note 61, p. 9. 28