Get Involved and Stand Up for Human Rights on Human Rights Day 2022

This year's celebration of Human Rights Day will launch a campaign to highlight the legacy, relevance, and activism of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human Rights Day is held on 10th December every year to promote the rights and freedom of people across the globe. The annual event marks the adoption of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in December 1948.

The UDHR consists of a preamble and 30 articles that set out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedom to which all of us, everywhere around the world, are entitled. It is available in over 500 languages and has inspired countries and people alike to start treating every person with the right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Human Rights Day 2022

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On Human Rights Day 2022, let us acknowledge the importance of this document and the importance of human rights.

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Know Your Rights

Human rights are standards that recognize and protect the dignity of all human beings. They also govern how individuals live in society and with each other, as well as their relationship with the State and the obligations that the State has towards them.

It includes the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.

Human rights law obliges governments to do some things and prevents them from doing others. Individuals also have responsibilities: in using their human rights, they must respect the rights of others. No government, group, or person has the right to do anything that violates another person’s rights (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
An Introduction to Human Rights

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Facts About Human Rights

Human rights might seem simple but there are so many things to learn and be aware of. Here are facts that provide a good foundation for further education (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
An Introduction to Human Rights

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Face the Facts

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• The concept of human rights is said to have originated approximately 2,500 years ago in modern-day Iraq. King Cyrus the Great freed slaves and established racial equality and the right to religious choice.
• In 1946, several organizations involving human rights were established, including the Commission on Human Rights, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the International Criminal Court.
• Everyone has a right to leisure and holiday, with pay.
• Twenty-three nations around the world currently allow gay marriage.
• There are more than 300,000 child soldiers in conflicts around the world.
• Nearly 21 million people around the world are victims of forced labor.
• Nepal is one of at least five countries where your gender can now appear as “other” on official documentation.
• 121 million children and adolescents have never had the chance to attend school, or have been forced to drop out.
• Violence against women and children remains to be one of the most pressing human rights issues around the world.
• In 2011, the United Nations declared internet access a basic human right.
• In 2012, the UN declared birth control and access to contraception a basic human right.
• In 2015 alone, the death penalty has been abolished in four countries.
• According to a 2019 report, 152 million children are currently working labor. 7 out of 10 children work in agriculture, such as the cocoa fields in West Africa.

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Why do we Celebrate Human Rights Day?

We are all born equal and should be treated as such. Every person deserves a set of rights by which they can live their life as they choose, and without being oppressed, suppressed, or owned by someone else.

Whilst there is still definitely a long way to go, we should take a moment to acknowledge that progress is being made, and the world is a better and fairer place for more people than it was a few hundred years ago. Let’s acknowledge that and then crack on with the improvements that still need to be made.

The Declaration of Human Rights was agreed upon by 48 member states when it was first created. That’s 48 countries sharing a common belief that life should be and can be better for everyone.

The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be celebrated on 10th December 2023. Ahead of this milestone, a year-long campaign to showcase the UDHR by focusing on its legacy, relevance, and activism will be launched on 10th December 2022.

As the world faces challenges new and ongoing – pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, and climate change – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind.

The theme for this year-long campaign will be “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All”, which shifts the need for understanding and action toward greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Human Rights Day 10 December

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How to Observe Human Rights Day?

• Donate to charity

  : Is there a charity championing human rights that strikes a chord with you? Maybe this day is perfect to donate.

• Attend an event

  : There are political conferences, meetings, exhibitions, cultural events, and debates held on this day.

• Online support

  : Show your support for human rights by posting online or getting involved in online discussions using hashtags #StandUp4HumanRights and #HumanRightsDay; and also share the Human Rights Day posters.

“When the fundamental principles of human rights are not protected, the center of our institution no longer holds. It is there to promote sustainable development; secure peace; and lives of dignity.” – Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

In this pandemic era, everyone is entitled to basic human rights without discrimination. Therefore, lets us join together and show our support so that no one is denied their rights.

References:

1. Human Rights Day 2022 - (https://www.ohchr.org/en/get-involved/campaign/human-rights-day)
2. An Introduction to Human Rights - (https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/introduction-human-rights)
3. Face the Facts - (https://humanrights.gov.au/education/face-facts)
4. Human Rights Day 10 December - (https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day)

Source-Medindia