“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”― John F. Kennedy. Human Rights are for all which binds every individual under this principle.
Human rights are rights that everyone should have simply because of being a human being. They are the rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. These kind of rights are very important to human as it helps to protect their identity as a human. According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are 30 human rights.
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on the 10th of December every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations. It established universal human rights on the basis of humanity, freedom, justice, and peace.
The theme of Human Rights Day 2019 is ‘Youth Standing Up for Human Rights’. UN plans to highlight the leadership role of youth in collective movements as a source of inspiration for a better future. Youth are the pillars in the development sector and youth participation is essential to achieve sustainable development for all. Youth are the change-makers and they bring positive change in the society and the country; if youth stands up for human rights, it can bring a positive change in any country.
In case of Nepal, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was established as an independent statutory body in 2000. It has been working actively under the motto, ‘Human rights for all, at every household: basis of peace and development’. It has set a new goal to take human rights consciousness in every household. Nepal also became a member of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2018 for the first time, for a term running until 2020. The success in improving respect for human rights in Nepal depends crucially upon further development and strengthening of a comprehensive national human rights protection system. This system should include an independent, credible and effective NHRC, laws that are in harmony with international standards and the Constitution, overseen by an independent judiciary and a parliamentary human rights committee, an active and free media, last but not least, a vibrant civil society, including human rights defenders who are secure and well protected.
Since Human rights are relevant to all of us every day, we need to protect our rights understanding the core values and principles of life. Our universal values maintain humanity. So humanity is very necessary. In the place where humanity’s values are abandoned, human comes at risk. So, we need to stand up for our rights. Not just the rights, a human needs to fulfill his duty also. I remember many different incidents that triggered humanity and its values. Like Seria attack and many more. The fights that go against humanity make the country vulnerable. Any activities that go against human rights are unacceptable. So, humanity is the best approach to ensure peace and development in any country.
As we are celebrating Human Rights this year, let’s all of us promise that we will always stand for humanity. Let’s speak about Human Rights and let’s make this world a safer place to live in.
