Today is 10th December - Human Rights Day, as set out by the United Nations. Today we celebrate the creation of one of the most important documents created in the 20th Century ( it is to me and many others ) ; a document whose values form the basis for many laws around the world even though it itself is not legally binding; a document which is relevant to every single person on this planet although many do not even know it exists ; a document which helps defines what it is to be Human - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on this date, but this year is particularly special. This year , like something else close to my heart (*ahem* ... or should that read someone ;-) - a clue to that : see my last post !) it celebrates the 60th anniversary of its creation. The general theme of the day this year is the promotion of the Declaration to a wider audience .... to get more people to know about it and sign up to its values . This is just my little bit to help .... ( you can read the text of the UN UDHR here to find out more - please do ! )
On December 10th 1948 , the UDCR was signed by the nations of the world (well, those in the newly created UN that is) in Paris. It was created in reaction to the horrors of World War Two, to the inhuman policies of the Nazis - to try and ensure that something such as that would never happen again. It defined things that ALL humans on this planet were entitled to , regardless of race, sex, religion, political allegiance or any other distinction : things that could not be given or taken away by anyone, which you were entitled to just by being Human ... a citizen of this planet.
Unfortunately, despite the high hopes of the early post war years, 60 years on people are still not being treated humanly , not everyone has their rights, the UDCR is being ignored by many countries ... and not just in Africa or South America ... western governments such as our own are too (The "War on Terror" is not helping matters ). There is still need for organisations such as Amnesty and others like it. ... Human Rights and their defence are as relevant now as ever. People need to know what they have a right to, and need help to try and get it. The values of the UDHR need to be promoted and respected more widely, for by respecting and living by its values we are essentially living and respecting each other, and that can only be a good thing , can't it ?
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