Tuesday, 16 December 2008 00:00 | and posted in Features
Wednesday, 10 December 2008 was Human Rights Day and also the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (or UDHR for short). The UDHR was born out of the ashes of the Second World War and was ratified (approved) on 10 December 1948 by the United Nations. It is made up of 30 articles advocating basic human rights such as freedom, liberty, freedom of opinion, and the right not to be tortured or to be subjected to cruel or inhumane treatment.
There has been much to celebrate in the past 60 years of human rights campaigning from the end of Apartheid to some cancellation of third world debt. However, we are still a long way from universal Human Rights. Below are some examples of what's yet to be achieved.
Everyone has the right to life
In 1977 there were only 16 countries that did not use the death penalty as a form of capital punishment, but as of November this year this figure had risen to 93. However, over half of the world's nations still support the death penalty and estimates suggest that around 25,000 people wait on death row across the world with the USA and Pakistan account for around half of these people.
Amnesty International stated that there were 470 executions in China alone in 2007, but the actual number may be much higher. Some countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia execute child offenders, in direct violation of International Law.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Countries such as China and Burma deny people accused of crimes a fair trial and instead sentence people behind closed doors. Last month in Burma alone 215 political activists, monks, nuns, journalists and even some of their lawyers were sentenced to long years in prison.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The US brought Guantanamo Bay into existence in 2002 and holds around 400 people there without trial, many of whom have not been charged with anything. Some prisoners have been held since the "camp" opened and suspected terrorists as young as 15 have been held there. Reports from human rights charities such as Amnesty International and the Red Cross say that inmates are regularly subjected to forced sleep deprivation and Muslim inmates are forced to watch the Qur'an being defaced.
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care
Over 1.1 billion people in developing nations still live without basic standards of living such as access to clean water. People still die each year from curable, preventable diseases such as malaria or diarrhoea because the political will doesn't exist to ensure universal access to medicines. In Angola, for example, 70% of the population live in abject poverty and a quarter of all children die before their fifth birthday.
There continues to be a vast gulf across the world between the rich and poor. If just 10% of the US military budget was reinvested in foreign aid and development it would care for the basic needs of the entire world's poor. Half a percent of the US military budget would cut African hunger in half by 2015.
Everyone has the right to education
Many children in developing countries are denied an education. Some are forced to work or take care of their families where parents have died from HIV/AIDS. In Mozambique, children are turned away from schools because they haven't got enough teachers. The country needs 7,000 new teachers to replace those killed by HIV/AIDS.
In 2005 there were 72 million children not in school according to the UN. 57% of these were female as families may prefer to send their sons to school instead of their daughters or the curriculum may be gender-biased towards males or girls may be forced into marriage instead of being allowed to get an education.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief
People in countries such as Iran or Afghanistan are put to death for crimes such as converting from Islam or blasphemy. Christians across the world are persecuted for their beliefs and in countries such as North Korea and China they can be imprisoned, beaten, tortured or even murdered.
How can I make a difference?
It's easier than ever to campaign for human rights and to help make a difference for those who are oppressed or suffering from injustice. The major UK-based charities campaigning for human rights all have ways to get involved from e-mailing the Prime Minister to signing petitions to resources for your school or church youth group to use. For example, why not check out one or more of these websites: Christian Aid , Amnesty International , Oxfam , Tearfund or Release International.
Margaret Mead, author and anthropologist, said "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."