Human Right’s Day: Still a long way to go

We’ve just celebrated Human Right’s Day on 10th of December. Officially, it’s been being celebrated since 1948 in over 189 countries all over the world. We also mark this day as ‘struggle against poverty’.

On this occasion Mr. Tom Malinowsky from Human Rights Watch in the U.S. state of Washington opined that there had been a significant progress in human rights over the last 40 years" "I think there is greater awareness around the world that people have fundamental rights and that those rights are enshrined in both law domestically and internationally"

The same day an article was published in a leading Australian daily, “The Australian” titled “The day to mourn, not celebrate, human rights”. The article writes that the year 2009 was worst of past decade in terms of human rights’ violation:

“Mass killings have continued in Darfur, the Congo and elsewhere in Africa, with only minor and sporadic attention from the media or the UN.

Dictatorships in North Korea and Burma terrorize their citizens daily, with no end in sight.

In Iran, a rigged election brought thousands of democracy protesters into the streets, where they were attacked (at least 70 people, including Neda Agha-Soltan, were reportedly killed) and arrested, followed by Stalinist show trials designed to intimidate these advocates.

Tragically, Human Rights Day, which marks the anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Conventions, now serves as a reminder of the abject failure of the international community in living up to its moral commitments. Ignoring the pleas of victims around the world, the UN Human Rights Council is locked on to a political agenda that uses the rhetoric of international law as a weapon in the political war targeting Israel.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference, which controls the UNHRCs agenda and chooses its officials, has no interest in opening a discussion of the systematic oppression of women or minorities in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Libya, Gaza, etc.

Israel is a convenient diversion, which explains the obsessive focus on "war crimes" claims, including the biased mandate of the Goldstone report on the Gaza conflict.

To make matters worse, the non-governmental human rights watchdogs that were created to offset the unethical behavior and biases of governments, have become accomplices in promoting oppression.”

We really have come long way ever since the UNO’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into existence. We can’t deny the role of UNHCR and OHCHR in Africa, South America and war affected zones such as Kosovo, Chechnya, Cambodia, Srilanka etc. Thousands of people, especially women and children have been rescued and rehabilitated. Yet, establishing an egalitarian society free of any sort of human rights’ violation is far from reach. Millions of innocent people will continue to suffer even in the most developed parts of the world. If we really want to curb all sorts of human rights’ violations, we must bolster democracy, print and electronic media, police and judiciary system and emphasize on empowering women. Otherwise, all these demonstrations, summits and promises on paper would be of no use.

Yours Alex