Human Rights Day 2022: Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All

 

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In 1945, the Second World War came to an end. It is estimated that over 70-85 million people perished. At the time that was just over 3% of the world’s total population. Devastated by the event, 51 countries pledged that they would never want a repeat of such mass destruction ever again. They came together and formed what is now known as The United Nations. Following their pledge to international peace and security, they realised the importance of the security of the individual. Many atrocities had taken place during the war including mass killings, atomic bombings, torture cases and genocides. In a bid to never repeat such “barbarous acts which […] outraged the conscience of mankind”, Eleanor Roosevelt was tasked to chair the Commission on Human Rights which drafted what became known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). 

The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. The declaration serves as a foundation for dignity, freedom, justice and peace

There have been other precursors to this 20th-century text, such as the Magna Carta, which was drafted in 1215, the English Bill of Rights of 1689, the French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789, the US Constitution and Bill of Rights of 1791. However, it was discovered that these texts’ policies ignored women, people of colour, race, and religion.

  When the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, with 48 states in favor and eight abstentions, it was proclaimed as a "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations", towards which individuals and societies should "strive by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance".
Although the Declaration with its broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. It has helped shape human rights all over the world.
Today the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main United Nations rights official, plays a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.

 For millions of people, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is still just a dream.Many people around the world are still denied the most basic of human rights on a daily basis. Women’s rights are still repeatedly denied and marginalised throughout the globe, despite 70 years of the milestone declaration on human rights. Confronted with widespread gender-based violence, hate and discrimination, women’s well-being and ability to live full and active lives in society are being seriously challenged. 

Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are still  problems prevalent in all societies, and discriminatory practices are widespread, particularly regarding the  targeting of migrants and refugees. including in rich countries where men, women and children who have committed no crime are often held in detention for prolonged periods. They are frequently discriminated against by landlords, employers and state-run authorities, and stereotyped and vilified by some political parties, media organizations and members of the public.

Many other groups face discrimination to a greater or lesser degree. Some of them are easily definable such as persons with disabilities, stateless people, gays and lesbians, members of particular castes and the elderly. Others may span several different groups and find themselves discriminated against on several different levels as a result.

Those who are not discriminated against often find it hard to comprehend the suffering and humiliation that discrimination imposes on their fellow individual human beings. Nor do they always understand the deeply corrosive effect it has on society at large.

The Human Rights Act is currently under attack, as part of its efforts to hide from accountability and make itself untouchable, the Government has announced it will ‘overhaul’ our Human Rights Act.

This year, Human Rights Day holds a particular importance given the acute and diverse impacts on fundamental rights and freedoms globally. Commemorating the day, allows us a moment to pause and reflect on the challenges humanity faces and to strengthen our resolve to respect, honour and support the universal principles recognised in the UDHR.  

The theme for Human Rights Day 2022 is “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All”. These principles are valuable touchstones, as we focus on and seek to address the significant human rights challenges facing the world. These cover the human rights violations resulting from the active armed conflicts, civil wars and political instability in countries such as Ukraine, Ethiopia, The Sahel, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar and Haiti, to focus on a few; the increasing number of authoritarian governments limiting social and political freedoms and discriminating on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity; the impacts to millions of workers who are being exploited by unfair business practices; the global refugee and migration situation, which the UN has described as creating the “highest levels of displacement on record”.

World Human Rights Day 2022, and every other World Human Rights Day, is a day to celebrate the achievements of those who have fought for and protected human rights. It is also a day to reflect on the future and work out what needs to be done to make society fairer for everyone.The day inspires everyone to speak up and take action to end discrimination in all forms, whenever and wherever it happens. This, in a nutshell, is what World Human Rights Day is all about.Let's take a moment today to highlight that all our struggles are interconnected

In the past few years, the world has seen some of the very critical times for mankind. People across the globe have witnessed a pandemic, social and political conflict, climate crisis and so on. Human Rights play a key role in sustaining such a situation. To overcome all of this, it requires a collective contribution to rebuild trust and embrace a shared and comprehensive vision of human rights on the road to a just and sustainable development.  When we fight for climate justice, we fight for social justice and human rights. The climate crisis is already being recognised as creating direct human rights consequences, particularly for populations in developing countries and low-lying territories. Fossil fuel companies continue to exploit and harm communities around the world, putting profit before people and the planet. We should not let them get away with it!

Human Rights Day reminds us all that how undemocratic countries are snatching away the rights of the innocent and how people are losing their lives because of injustice and violence. Let us promise to fight for their betterment.

It’s important to acknowledge that human rights, have rarely been gifted to us through benevolent leaders. Rather, they have been won after long fought battles and collective struggle. We need to recognize and pay tribute to human rights defenders the world over, putting their lives on the line for others, our voice must be their voice. 

 As thousands of struggles have proved, human rights are a vital lever in the quest for equality and social justice. If governments will no longer protect human rights it will be up to us, the people to keep on fighting for them and ensure our human right are always upheld.   

We all need to stand up for these Rights which are too often under threat.  We need to remind people of the importance of protecting our Human Rights to ensure that they cannot be eroded. Lets work to achieve a better life for all. And more importantly, to continue to take a stand for people whose human rights are still not being met across the globe, find a way to use our voices for those who may not have an opportunity to advocate for themselves. At the same time  strengthening  international law and justice in order to end impunity, and bring to justice those guilty of violations of human rights and offer protection to their victims.

Just by giving all the humans their rights, we can surely make this earth a far better place to live… where there will be peace, happiness and growth for one and for all. Today and every day we  must rise up against injustice and stand with everyone fighting for a more just and equitable world. Warm wishes on Human Rights Day.

 

 Take Action for Human Rights today – Participate in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights.