Dec 10 2008
Human Rights For All
Today, December 10th, is International Human Rights Day, a day in which we celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Declaration of Human Rights, adopted sixty years ago in response to the genocide and torture of World War II ,was a crucial event in turning the tide of human rights violations. Its adoption created a worldwide standard for the treatment of human beings regardless of their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Its preamble affirms:
- Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
- Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people
With that proclamation a standard was born, one that included every human being and condemned the action of tyrants who would at the first opportunity disregard the inalienable rights of the people. The declaration also gave us a groundwork for the vision of how to shape the world and its human family.
The first article of the Declaration states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. It goes on to state in its twenty-fifth article, “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 and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control”.
Although the declaration has been adopted in many countries, we still have a long way to go. The genocide in Rwanda, the torture and abuse in Kenyan prisons, the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe, there seems to be problems all over the world, but it is America that concerns this writer. Along with all the other countries in the United Nations that signed the Declaration, we were among them, if not the first in line. That means that in the United States the International Declaration of Human Rights is law. But we really have abandoned some key principles.
Article five states that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, but in our War on Terror we use “enhanced interrogation techniques”. Article six says that “Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law”, but we have suspended habeas corpus with the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Article nine “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile”, along with article twelve “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks” has been violated by Patriot Act 2. America was the first in line to condemn acts of barbarism but we have no compunction in committing those same acts. No we haven’t committed genocide or took away the rights of women, but we are on that slippery slope.
President Obama has said that he will bring back the honor of this great nation, we the people can only breathe a sigh of relief, then we need to pitch in and help.
