A Look Into How the Pandemic Affects Legal Issues Worldwide
It’s hard to keep track of every legal issue that crops up every day. The pandemic has made that even more complicated. However, we shouldn’t leave these legal issues in the darkness. Instead, we should let them out into the light where everyone can see.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left specific legal issues out of the public eye. However, one specific issue running rampant because of the pandemic is immigration.
Immigration Issues
One of the major sub-sectors of the legal industry affected greatly by the pandemic is immigration. A staggering 27% slowed international migration or about two million migrants during the pandemic. This is a record-high for such a statistic and one that might not be able to recover in the coming years.
One of the leading reasons for such a decrease is strict immigration laws from various countries. Countries are less likely to accept people from other countries if the infection rates are high. Moreover, a significant spike in infections can cancel a person’s immigration status, forever leaving it in limbo.
The lack of immigrants can impact enormously severe a country’s economy, especially those that rely on immigrant workers like the US and Canada. Various visas were delayed in the US because of the high infection rates within the country.
This was the same for Canada, with the country’s immigrants decreasing by more than 50,000 during the pandemic. However, some well-connected immigration lawyers gave permanent residence cards to those who direly needed them. It’s usually for those who have won the green card lottery and those applying for years now.
Moreover, illegal immigration schemes and scams have increased because of people’s desperation to immigrate. This is problematic as millions of dollars fall into these schemes never recover again.
The reality has sunk in for these countries. They can start reforming their immigration laws to be less strict and gain more immigrants but at the cost of increasing infection rates. Or, they can keep the laws strict, gain fewer immigrants, and keep infection rates low but experience a slower economic recovery in the coming years.
The Shadow Pandemic
There is another pandemic that’s hidden in the shadows—one that had infiltrated our society even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. As many experts like to call it, this shadow pandemic is the increasing rates of domestic violence worldwide.
About 243 million women worldwide are affected by the shadow pandemic. Various legal organizations, both government and non-profit sectors, are working hard to stop it. However, because of the heavy restrictions found in some countries worldwide, it can be hard to help these women in need.
Many mental health professionals have decided to create online channels to reach out to these affected women. They give free counseling and psychological services to those in need. Moreover, some legal advisors have also set up their digital channels to give free legal advice to the victim of this shadow pandemic. Overall, the legal sector is doing its best to control this growing pandemic.
Legal Issues in the Workplace
Another problem that the pandemic has exacerbated is inequalities and injustices in the workplace. Various worker’s unions have expressed their concerns about increased legal issues in the workplace. Many reports of unjust treatment at work, pay inequalities between men and women, and unreported layoffs run rampant in hundreds of industries worldwide.
Every company is struggling to survive during this pandemic, and it’s willing to go certain lengths, with some considering illegal options to keep their heads above water. The legal sector is already struggling to handle this issue because of a load of cases stressing the industry. However, it has dispatched a couple of legal professionals to deal with it digitally.
Investigations have started to look into the injustices and inequalities that various worker unions have presented. But only time will tell whether these legal issues will be handled accordingly.
Homelessness
Lastly, we have an increasing amount of homelessness during the pandemic. Various companies have laid claim to certain properties that aren’t theirs and have resorted to gaining it through aggressive manners. Some landlords have abruptly ended paying tenants to shelter their loved ones. The overpricing of homes runs rampant in the real estate industry because of the dire need for shelter.
These legal issues are the most ignored currently because the legal sector lacks the necessary manpower to handle them. But some are taking the matter into their own hands and putting certain lawsuits upon those who have wronged them.
Many legal issues are left in the darkness because of the pandemic, not just the ones mentioned here. It’s time to let people know about these issues and get them involved so justice may be dealt with the abusers who’ve taken advantage of these trying times.
