Is observing a day enough? 75 years is a long time; with rising conflicts in different parts of the world, perhaps now is the time to raise this question.
Come December 10 and it’s the 75th year of Human Rights Day this year… an annual celebration to honour the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on this day in 1948.
The following quote from a UN website gives an idea about the significance of this day. “Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. The UDHR is widely recognized as having inspired and paved the way for, the adoption of more than seventy human rights treaties, applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels (all containing references to it in their preambles).”
UDHR is, therefore, an international document, whose relevance lies in its commitment to safeguard the rights of every human being. The 30 articles define the nuances of human rights and the fundamental freedom of each individual.
Brief History
It was drafted by a UN committee, whose main architect (as chairperson) was activist and former First Lady of the US, Eleanor Roosevelt. Reading this may sound like the process was simple, but it was far from it.
Following the first session of the Commission on Human Rights(the report known as E/259 in February 1947), the committee was established. Roosevelt, Pen-Chun Chang and Charles Habib Malik worked together to draft the International Bill of Human Rights – the initial draft was sent to the John Humphrey, Director, Division for Human Rights, UN Secretariat.
While Chang was a Chinese playwright, philosopher, educator and diplomat known for his creative approach to resolution of conflict, Malik was a philosopher and diplomat from Lebanon, who, as a theologian, cut across different religious factions, and commanded respect for his vision.
A letter was sent to the president of the Economic and Social Council (March 27) from the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (E/383). Soon after, representatives came onboard from other nations – René Cassin (France), Hernán Santa Cruz (Chile), William Hodgson (Australia), Alexander E. Bogomolov (erstwhile Soviet Union), and Charles Dukes (UK).
Interestingly, women were at the forefront of shaping UDHR. Apart from the former first lady whose tremendous influence shaped the global world as tensions rose between the East and the West, feminist leaders from different countries came together – Minerva Bernardino (Dominican Republic); Begum Shaista Ikramullah (Pakistan); Bodil Begtrup (Denmark); Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux(France); and Evdokia Uralova (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic).
From India were Hansa Mehta and Lakshmi Menon. While Mehta was a staunch fighter for women’s rights in India and abroad, Menon stood for non-discrimination based on sex. Mehta was instrumental in “All human beings are born free and equal” in Article One of the Declaration; Menon worked towards equal rights of men and women in the preamble of the UDHR
Do we need UDHR?
While the importance of this day is undeniable, instances of human rights violations across the world show us the need for sustained effort.
Under the sub-section titled “2023 Theme: Freedom, Equality and Justice for All” in the website, this is mentioned clearly, “However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing – pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, climate change – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind. The year-long Human Rights 75 initiative seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it.”
The recent international crises– Russia-Ukraine; the Rohingya issue and Israel-Hamas War –are a cause of concern.
Is there an End in Sight?
The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War commenced in 2014, rooted in the Revolution of Dignity (or the Euromaidan protests), which led to widespread demonstrations and civil unrest in 2013.
Viktor Yanukovych, the then-President of Ukraine, was unpopular for his pro-Russia stance – at the heart of this conflict was the European Union-Ukraine Association Agreement, which he (suddenly) decided not to sign at the insistence of Russia. Eight years into the conflict comprising naval and cyber warfare, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to the occupation of the country.
The war has entered day 653 during the time of writing this piece. T
The present status includes Russia damaging port infrastructure in Ukraine’s south Odesa; shelling a thermal power plant while temperatures are freezing, resulting in electricity shortage; and attacking Ukraine’s energy facilities as well as civilians, thereby, leading to a heightened humanitarian crisis. As international alliances falter on military, financial and humanitarian aid that was promised to Ukraine in August this year, there is no end in sight.
Back in 2015, the Rohingyas of Myanmar were forced to flee their homes because of sectarian violence. Already living in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps as “stateless entities”, what followed was massive mass migrations to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia to name a few).
People have not only died during the journey, but reports suggest increased surveillance on the Rohingya people. International research institutes have (time and again) called out the Myanmar government’s approach as “organised genocide”.
The crisis started when a Buddhist woman, Phyu Phyu Min, filed a rape case against two Muslim co-workers. A local website reported this. Soon, a prominent Buddhist monk, Ashin Wirathu(already controversial for his anti-Muslim rhetoric), added fuel to fire by publishing the claim on his social media handle. The impact was disastrous as protestors took to the streets, chanting slogans, “Kill the Kalars” (Kalar is the term used to describe Muslims). Arson caused damage to Muslim shops and a mosque, and two lives were lost in the resulting violence spanning over two days. The rape allegation that ignited the subsequent violence, as the government in Myanmar later revealed, never happened; rather, it was carefully fabricated.
Human rights organisations reported how Rohingya women were raped systematically by the Myanmar military and security forces. Wirathu has been hailed as a hero by nationalist Buddhist monks, with one calling him, “Son of the Lord Buddha”. Meanwhile, Min is serving jail time – minimum 21-year sentence.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international NGO, whose research-based advocacy ensures they work with international governments, policymakers and various stakeholders to denounce the violation of human rights.
Their official website outlines their role, “Human Rights Watch’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Division defends the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced people, and migrants worldwide. We investigate rights violations arising from government attempts to divert, expel, or contain these people and defend the right to seek asylum. We investigate abuses against migrant workers, including trafficking. We defend migrants’ rights to have the personal and family lives they have built in their host country considered in expulsion decisions and their rights to non-discrimination respected wherever they may live. We seek to ensure governments use immigration detention as an exceptional measure of last resort and advocate for alternatives to detention.”
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the subsequent occupation of Gaza have triggered a human rights crisis. Recent news has focused on the sufferings of pregnant women and children in particular. Live updates present a disturbing picture. UNICEF has reported the dearth of basic necessities that is threatening the lives of people. The trauma speaks volumes.
In the words of James Elder, Global Spokesperson, UNICEF, “We are going to start seeing not just disease outbreaks. We already have the perfect storm, but we are going to see people dying of dehydration. So, when we have these safe spaces that are so designated, it’s such a cynical, cynical word. Not once have I ever heard any implication from those people talking about safe spaces to even imply that there would be, what they are legally and morally, legally obliged to water, medicine, food, and protection. There is not a skerrick of interest not a drop of water, and not a toilet to be seen for hundreds of thousands of people. Nothing! And that to me speaks to the…the coldness and the callousness, and those…those authorities being absolutely unmoved. The loss of life and the devastation and the trauma is utterly unprecedented.”
With Israeli attacks escalating and the death toll rising, it’s a symbolic gesture on the part of Palestinian churches to cancel Christmas this year. Has the haunting image of Bethlehem’s Lutheran Church depicting its Christmas nativity scene to “reflect the reality of children living and being born in Palestine today” become the news of yesterday already?
In different corners of the world, ongoing crises and political ticking time bombs have threatened the essence of UDHR. What use is a Declaration when silence echoes through the chambers of rubble?
Perhaps, now is the time to ponder… what world will our future generations inherit from us?