The call is for all of us to stand up for “equality, justice and human dignity.” And the hashtag to use is #StandUp4HumanRights. But first things first, what does “standing up” entail? And more important, what rights are we standing up for?
Sadly, there are still many people from all over the world who are not aware of their basic human rights. I’m willing to bet that there are more who have not read the actual document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The world celebrates today, December 10, Human Rights Day—the day that the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1948 the UDHR. It’s a milestone document proclaiming the inalienable rights of human beings, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, language, political opinion, national or social origin, property, or birth.
When we speak about human rights, one of the important things to remember is that it is our responsibility to stand up for our rights, as well as the rights of others. Standing up involves taking action and speaking up when we become witness to the violation of any of these rights, whether ours or those of other people’s. This is the responsibility that comes with these rights.
For today, in particular, those of you who are active on social media may take the time to write a post on the importance of these rights, or what these rights mean to you. Start a conversation; share your thoughts and opinions, especially on current issues regarding human rights. After all, Article 19 states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
There are events and activities going on in different cities (and countries) that celebrate this important day: art exhibits, concerts and gatherings. You may want to look these up online to choose if there is an event where you want to participate or attend. For parents, it would be particularly helpful if you could engage your children in a conversation on the topic. And if you haven’t done so yet, read the entire document (one preamble and 30 articles), or share them with friends or family, children who are old enough to appreciate and understand.
But more than “celebrating” this day, I believe there should be explorations and discussions around a specific theme: What happens when we don’t uphold our human rights? What kind of risks do we face when we become silent or indifferent? What happens whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned?
These are important questions that we must ask ourselves today. And let our actions from hereon be based on our answers to these questions.