Today, the world marks the Universal Human Rights Day. It was on this day (December 10) 75 years ago that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was signed at the United Nations (UN). This landmark document enshrines 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 such as a disability.
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris, France, on December 10, 1948 and set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Available in more than 500 languages, it is also the most translated document in the world.
Common standard
When the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration, 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”.
According to the UN, the UDHR sets out a broad range of fundamental rights and freedoms to which all of us are entitled. It guarantees the rights of every individual everywhere, without distinction based on nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status.
Although the Declaration is not a binding document per se, it has inspired more than 60 other Human Rights Instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. Today the general consent of all UN Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasises the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.
A year-long initiative focusing on universality, progress and engagement, will culminate in a high-level event in December 2023, which will announce global pledges and ideas for a vision for the future of human rights.
Accordingly, the 2023 theme of the Human Rights Day is “Freedom, Equality and Justice for All”. This is an apt theme, given that the human rights of millions are being violated every day around the world and not just in conflict areas.
Nevertheless, in the seven decades since the adoption of the UDHR in 1948, human rights have become more recognised and more guaranteed across the globe despite various challenges. The UDHR has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, women and children (though there is a separate human rights instrument for children) and migrants. However, the UN has noted that promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing – pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, a morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, Climate Change (right now, delegates from around the world are debating this issue at the COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai, UAE) – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind.
The year-long Human Rights 75 initiative seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it.
In a message issued to mark the World Human Rights Day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the iconic opening sentence of the UDHR is as important today as it was when it was adopted 75 years ago. He said: “The UDHR is a roadmap, helping to end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all. But the world is losing its way. Conflicts are raging.
Poverty and hunger are increasing. Inequalities are deepening. The Climate Crisis is a human rights crisis that is hitting the most vulnerable hardest. Authoritarianism is on the rise in many countries. Civic space is shrinking and the media is under attack from all sides. Gender equality still remains a distant dream and women’s reproductive rights are being rolled back in many countries. Today, it is more important than ever to promote and respect all human rights – social, cultural, economic, civil and political – which protect us all.”
Different parameters
In fact, the UN Secretary General has taken the lead in condemning the widespread civilian casualties in Israel’s war on Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 14,000 people including around 5,000 children. This war illustrates the different parameters in the way that various countries uphold human rights. Most Western countries have been silent on these numbers whereas the same countries would highlight even minor human rights violations by Global South countries. They are also mostly silent on the proxy war in Yemen where some allies of powerful nations are involved. This war has led to widespread starvation and disease in Yemen.
Migrants who leave their countries due to Climate Change, persecution or conflict, are another category whose human rights are often neglected. The world’s media focused heavily on the implosion of the Titan submersible carrying five ultra wealthy individuals, while almost completely ignoring the sinking of a migrants’ vessel with the loss of hundreds of lives which occurred on the same day.
The developed world spent millions of dollars to look for the remains of the Titan, yet almost no resources were deployed to look for any survivors from the migrants’ ship.
Most European countries which opened their borders without any conditions for Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country abhor the legal or illegal entry of refugees and asylum seekers from Asian and African countries. The UK is trying to persist with its plans to offload asylum seekers to far-off Rwanda, even though the Supreme Court has essentially outlawed the scheme. Some in the UK’s Conservative circles are even threatening to leave the European Human Rights Conventions over this issue.
The rise of Conservatism and far-Right extremism is a grave threat to human rights. Far-right leaders and Governments have been voted into power in several countries, exploiting anti-Islam and anti-migrant sentiments in some segments of the population. They have openly threatened to violate the rights of segments such as migrants.
Even in the case of Israel, its current Government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is the most far-Right ever in history. One Israeli Minister described Gazans as “human animals” while another one suggested that a nuclear weapon should be unleashed on the Gaza Strip, which was an unthinkable suggestion even for Netanyahu.
Women and children are especially vulnerable in conflicts, as evidenced by the Gaza War and also the Russia-Ukraine War. But conflict is not the only factor that violates their rights. Millions of women and girls are subject to domestic abuse and violence, both physical and sexual. Women and girls, including very young ones, are trafficked for sexual exploitation, domestic work and slavery.
Biggest violations
Millions of girls and women suffer from period poverty – the lack of access to menstrual and sanitary products due mainly to abject poverty. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), though banned worldwide, is still practised in some countries in Africa. Moreover, girls are denied access to education in some countries, with Afghanistan being the most prominent example. But it happens in a lot of under-developed countries. They are usually used for child labour. This is perhaps the biggest violation of children’s rights. The lack of gender parity in work is another violation of women’s rights.
Just last week, the world focused on the rights of the disabled or differently-abled persons. Unfortunately, their rights are still not properly upheld even in developed countries. Many buildings are still not designed to accommodate the differently-abled and many employers are reluctant to accommodate them even for jobs that they can do. For example, a blind person can easily be trained to become a telephone operator. There should be a wider focus on the rights of the disabled. Media campaigns can be remarkably effective in this regard – Sri Lankan TV stations now regularly use sign language interpreters after the media highlighted this dire need.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to human rights will emanate from the existential threat of Climate Change. This phenomenon is likely to displace tens of thousands of people from their homes – and even from their countries (such as Small Island Developing States or SIDS) if sea levels rise as a result of relentless Global Warming. Protecting the rights of these populations at risk will be akin to protecting the rights of everyone on the planet as we have only one world to live in.
