Life, Liberty and Health
The main objective of COST Action CA23103 ‘Life, Liberty and Health: Ensuring Universal Protection of Human Rights at Sea’ (BlueRights) is to assess how three basic universal human rights – the rights to life, liberty and health – can be enjoyed also by people at sea and by all people at sea, and which action needs to be taken to this end by States and non-State actors.
Working Groups
Every member of the network works in one of the three Working Groups (WGs).
Each WG addresses one of the human rights that is examined. The Action answers two (legal) questions:
- What is the content and scope of the rights to life, liberty and health when applied at sea?
- Who is responsible for protecting them and how?
These two research questions will be addressed in all WGs. Through conferences, open and closed workshops, Training Schools and Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSM), our Action will bring together scholars and stakeholders who are working in this area, will raise awareness about people at sea and their most basic rights, will elaborate the theoretical framework within which to locate legislative efforts, and will produce ready-to-use tools for governments, industry and civil society.
(1)
This first working group aims to examine and strengthen existing legal frameworks for search and rescue operations, the use of force, and workplace safety at sea to ensure protection of the right to life in maritime environments.
(2)
This second working group examines threats to personal liberty at sea, focusing on arrest and detention procedures by ship masters and state authorities, as well as combating forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking in maritime environments.
(3)
This third working group addresses the right to health at sea by examining living and working conditions on vessels and platforms, mental health and well-being including discrimination issues, and health protection during crisis situations such as armed conflict and disease outbreaks.