December 10, 2018

Standing up for human rights

editor:	Bob Koigi

Key landmarks across the world shine blue today, from Montreal Tower in Canada and Beirut National Museum in Lebanon to the Coca-Cola London Eye, to symbolise another year of the great strides humanity has made in the commitment for equal dignity and worth of every person.  The international human rights day offers the world a chance to pause and reflect on the many voices that have jealously defended the inalienable rights that citizens of the world now enjoy while keeping a pulse on the modern day threats to these rights.

It is indeed a unique year, as the world celebrates 70 years since the coming into force of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a milestone document that has uplifted the dignity of billions of people the world over, irrespective of their language, colour, race, religious and political inclinations.

The document, which is the world’s most translated – now available in over 500 languages – remains as relevant today as it was seven decades ago and continues to offer guidance even in situations that could not have been predicted then.

While tragedies still surround us, the world is unarguably a better place today than it was when the declaration was written, and the foundations upon which basic human rights are anchored on: equality, justice and human dignity, have averted untold suffering.

But despite these monumental gains, the rights of millions across the world continue to be violated and state actors are increasingly becoming enemies rather than custodians of these crucial values. Women, children, refugees and minority groups continue to face persecution, torture and death at the hands of those entrusted to protect them.

2018 remains one of the years such violations have exposed the Achilles heel of the international human rights system. From the Rohingya crisis, the crackdown against Turkic Muslims in China, the murder of human rights crusaders including journalist Jamal Khashoggi, withdrawal of United States from the Human Rights Council and crimes against humanity sparked by armed conflict, the struggle for a just world continues.

Yet the resolve to uphold the dignity of all faces major threats now more than ever as emerging phenomena including climate change, migration, terrorism and artificial intelligence shape today's world.

As we reflect on the 70-year journey and the impact the universal declaration has had on societies, the onus is on global citizens to stand up and fight for the protection and respect of all human rights because when everything else is gone, those rights will be the only hope for another day.

Photo: World Justice Project