More than 60 years back, 61 to be precise, on 10th of December, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declaring that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. That exactly is the theme of this year’s human rights day, removing discrimination from the realm of public and private life. (You can find the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at this link - http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/)
Discrimination is quite rampant all over the world – discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender, political opinions, nationality, language, sexual orientation, birth, status and disabilities. There are covert and overt practices of discrimination and governments, states, organisations and individuals are equally responsible for this indelible stigma on the face of mankind. In today’s world, we have a range of national and international treaties that imbue the spirit of non discrimination and human rights. Many organisations are working effectively in this field and that has made some tangible difference in the lives of the victims of discrimination. But we still have a long distance to go and therefore this is not a time for us to remain complacent of our achievements in the domain of removing human rights.
Women are victims of discrimination all over the world in whatever areas they indulge in. Women work two-third of the working hours and make half of world’s food, yet they earn only 10% of world’s income and hold less than 1% of world’s property. They face both physical and sexual assaults in their workplaces and outside and the majority of abusers go unpunished, which amplify future assaults. The undeterred energy and determination of many human rights advocates and organisations have made the public more aware of the human rights of women and have pressurised many a state government to bring about national laws for the protection of women and girls.
All around the world children are often subjected to discrimination and gross human rights violations. They are discriminated mainly because they don’t have the ability to voice their concerns to the authorities. Children in places like Palestine and Sudan are facing terrible discrimination and violence. In some places they are forced to enlist themselves in the army for armed struggle. They are denied the chance for education and are mostly forced to work to earn their living. Malnutrition is another form of discrimination and human rights violation that children face all over the world. In India, despite a booming economy, about 25 million children face nutrition deprivation. Undernourished children will have less ability to tide over diseases like diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles.
370 million indigenous people of this world face serious discrimination by the state and other institutions. These people make the 5% of the world’s population, but 15% of the world’s poor. They live their lives in abject poverty and lack all fundamental rights and access to basic services. The indigenous people in many countries don’t have houses to stay in and their children are often discriminated and are not allowed to attend educational institutions.
Refugees and migrant workers are another group of people who are often discriminated against. According to the UNHCR, there are about 42 million people who are forcibly uprooted as a result of violence and persecution. Of this 42 million, 16 million are refugees and 26 million internally displaced. 80% live in developing nations and 10.5 million live in cities and are facing gross human rights violations. Many refugees, women and children included, are under prolonged detention without committing any crime. The UN convention on the rights of refugees and migrant workers are in place, but is often not judiciously applied in many countries.
The largest and most disadvantaged minority in the world are people with disabilities. About 98% children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school and are hence denied the psychological development that education provides. Therefore they are also denied the chance to stand on their own feet when they become elder citizens. National laws in various countries are not conducive for the development of people with disabilities.
Racial and ethnic discrimination is a very serious issue confronting many nations of the world. For example, the Palestinian conflict is basically an ethnic issue between the Arabs and the Jews. The Palestinians are denied basic rights by the Israeli authorities in West Bank and Gaza. They are even denied access to drinking water at some areas and people have to walk long distances for water and have to wait for a very long time to get water. The Palestinians face racial discrimination and chances of ethnic cleansing in Middle East if the international community doesn’t take any steps to counter it.
The enjoyment of universal human rights has the ability to enrich all of us and therefore it is the moral responsibility of each and every individual to uphold human dignity and oppose human rights violations and discrimination. All forms of discrimination feed discontent, mistrust and resentment, which in turn would result in sense of insecurity, crime and violence. Therefore we need to encourage everyone to uphold the spirit of human rights and observe the Human Rights Day 2009 by taking a solemn pledge to support, sustain and endorse human rights and non-discrimination.
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