UN declares 'Every day is Human Rights Day'
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The universal reach of human rights should not be restricted to one day alone but extended to every day of the year, top United Nations officials declared today as they marked Human Rights Day - an annual UN-backed event commemorating the date on which th
Spearheaded by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), this year's observance – celebrated under the banner of Human Rights 365 – encompasses the idea that “every day is Human Rights Day” and that “each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights.”
“On Human Rights Day we speak out,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proclaimed in his message. “We declare that human rights are for all of us, all the time: whoever we are and wherever we are from; no matter our class, our opinions, our sexual orientation.”
“Violations of human rights are more than personal tragedies,” Ban continued. “They are alarm bells that may warn of a much bigger crisis.”
Some 20.9 million people were in forced labour during the period between 2002 and 2011, and there are still 168 million children in child labour, according to UN figures. In addition, 870 million workers and their families live in poverty on the $2 per day line, while about 400 million in extreme poverty.
In its message for the Day which fell on December 10, the International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed its deepest sympathies to all people whose fundamental human rights have been violated, particularly those lining in areas of conflict.
The ICC noted that for the first time in history, victims can now actively participate in the proceedings before the Court and apply for reparations.
Human Rights Day stems from the General Assembly’s adoption the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. The Declaration sets out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all men and women, everywhere in the world, are entitled, without any distinction.
As part of the events to mark the Day, OHCHR honoured six recipients of the 2013 Human Rights Prize, an honorary award given to individuals and organisations in recognition of outstanding achievement in human rights.
This year’s winners are: Biram Dah Abeid of Mauritania, a son of freed slaves who works to eradicate the practice; Hiljmnijeta Apuk of Kosovo, a campaigner for the rights of people with disproportional restricted growth; Liisa Kauppinen of Finland, president emeritus of the World Federation of the Deaf; Khadija Ryadi, Former President of the Morocco Association for Human Rights; Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice (the Constitutional Court); and Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban who advocates for education.
