Human nature in it’s very core is wild, cruel and selfish. Survival is the driving force behind most of the endeavors of human life. To regulate the human societies, ancestors came up with a set of norms, a way of being, to co-exist and prosper together as a society and not to cut throats to get to means of survival better than others. United Nation for this purpose adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Right (UDHR) in 1948 on 10 December. This milestone document proclaimed the inalienable rights that everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The document is available in more than 500 languages and is considered to be the most translated script in the world.
Thesis statement:
Taking in consideration how nations and countries prioritize personal benefits over mutual good show that if in today’s world, the leaders of the world were called upon to sign UDHR, they would be unable and unwilling to put human rights at the center of global governance. Such a declaration would be impossible today.
Human Rights activists are filling up human jails and cemeteries once again but the unusual thing here to notice is that Human rights are being violated in outwardly democratic countries the most in today’s world not just in China, Russia and North Korea. In India, described as the largest democracy of world as of now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly and unapologetically is propagating a hate-inciting extreme Hindu Nationalism. It tramples over Islam and other religions in the country. The curfew imposed on Kashmir in name of protecting the minority is being passed over by major power holders of UN and this world in general, in favor of the personal benefits. Muslims in China are being tortured and are held in camps and are being forced to switch their religion. The honorary Chairperson of Amnesty International in Turkey Tanerkilicis on trial and likely to be imprisoned.
We are living in a world today where raising voice for right is considered a crime. Human Right activists all around the world are being silenced through manipulation or force. Writers such as ElifShafak are now effectively in exile. In Brazil, Indigenous land rights activists trying to save Amazon are being murdered, adding to troll of losing three land activists a day who are losing their lives somewhere in world. In Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique activists are under attack. The story goes on, from country to country and continent to continent. It’s heartbreaking to witness that an era that began with Tiananmen Square and the fall of Berlin Wall is ending with new walls going up all over the world.
Get Up! Stand Up!
The important thing right now is to ask ourselves. Are we going down without a fight? The erosion of human rights isn’t going uncontested. Because there is still hope and people across the world are fighting back. Young people are front of monumental movements such as climate change now. They may soon have to contemplate a more profound and provoking rebellion. As Greta Thunberg said “ people should not underestimate angry kids.
What side are we on?
We protest our own oppressions, but fail to see that we occupy just one front in a relentless onslaught on people across the world. To fight the injustice against human rights, it’s not necessary to be a victim of the violation. We just need to be human for that. We need to get our bearings now, organize and access what we stand for and then work against all odds to achieve the goal. It’s a need of time to unite against the evil to eradicate it completely. We need to go beyond democracies to save human rights now. Because If the governmentsaren’t protecting the basic rights then who will? WE THE PEOPLE!!. At any rate we cannot afford for lights to go out for human rights in other democracies, because then we won’t be able to say we weren’t warned when the electricity would run out in ours.
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