Fifty years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) — a document that honored the inalienable rights of every human being. December 10th has been recognized as Human Rights Day in recognition of this very document. The day serves to emphasize the importance of equality, diversity, democracy, and humanity.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, major setbacks to this adoption have emerged. According to the 2021 report by Freedom House, many countries have failed to protect and uphold these basic rights.
Some countries, like China, have increased their efforts to misinform and censor the public. In other cases, countries that had been considered ‘free status’ have dropped to partly free or not free.
Even then, the importance of these basic rights have not diminished, in fact, more people are observing Human Rights Day and celebrating what it is that makes us all human. Being aware of one’s human rights is crucial to a functioning democracy where everyone’s voice is heard.
This year’s theme is “Equality: Reducing Inequalities, Advancing Human Rights”, based on the first article of the UDHR, which claims that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The goal is to reduce barriers made by factors such as gender, sexuality, and race, among others.
The UN aims to create a new social contract using the values of the UDHR to move towards a better society and to break the cycle of inequality that has dominated countries for the last few years.
This contract would include a human-rights-based economy, advancements in health and economic opportunities, and more effective environmental action. According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner, human rights is not just a social issue, increased human rights has the potential to improve other global issues like poverty and health.
Students can do their part to spread awareness on human rights too. They can join human rights groups or movements and become involved in clubs at school that targets social problems.
Students can also read the UDHR, watch videos related to human rights, and share it with others on their various platforms to become better informed. Being aware of human rights issues other countries and our own are facing, gives a better understanding of where the world stands in terms of these problems and how to solve them.
At the end of the day, being human unites us much more than any individual traits can divide us, therefore, it is important to come together to protect and recognize the rights of people all over the world.
