International Human Rights Day is commemorated around the world on the 10th December. While we join the rest of the world in celebrating Human Rights in December, in South Africa we also celebrate Human Rights on March 21st.
So, the 21st is more than just a public holiday. It symbolises the choices and responsibility we all share to respect, help and protect each other. It is also in remembrance of the 1960 Sharpville Massacre, from a time in South African history where not everyone was treated as equals.
So, the 21st is more than just a public holiday. It symbolises the choices and responsibility we all share to respect, help and protect each other. It is also in remembrance of the 1960 Sharpville Massacre, from a time in South African history where not everyone was treated as equals.
What are my Human Rights?
Human: A member of the Homo Sapiens species: man, woman and child; a person.
Rights: Things to which you are entitles to or allowed; freedoms that are granted.
Human Rights: The rights you have simply because you are human. The right to expect and deserve to be treated as equal.
Human Rights applies to absolutely everyone, everywhere. That means kids, old people, poor people, garbage men, rappers, teachers, doctors, Indians, Africans, Zimbabweans, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, your mom, your dad, your neighbour and you all have the same rights.
In 1948, the United Nations agreed on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, listing the rights to which all human beings are entitled.
Take a look at the Human Rights Action Centre's video break down of these rights:
Rights: Things to which you are entitles to or allowed; freedoms that are granted.
Human Rights: The rights you have simply because you are human. The right to expect and deserve to be treated as equal.
Human Rights applies to absolutely everyone, everywhere. That means kids, old people, poor people, garbage men, rappers, teachers, doctors, Indians, Africans, Zimbabweans, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, your mom, your dad, your neighbour and you all have the same rights.
In 1948, the United Nations agreed on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, listing the rights to which all human beings are entitled.
Take a look at the Human Rights Action Centre's video break down of these rights:
And in South Africa?
Since 1994, March 21st has commemorated Human Rights in South Africa. In 1960 people met outside of the Sharpville police station because they were unhappy about having to carry passbooks (a document that said where you could and couldn't go according to your skin colour). The police opened fire on the crowd and 69 people were killed and many injured. The event was a very important part of South Africa's fight for equal human rights and democracy.
In 1996, President Nelson Mandela signed South Africa's first democratic constitution into law at the site of the Sharpville Massacre. The beginning of the Constitution of South Africa highlights the importance of human rights:
We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to --
Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;
Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.May God protect our people.
This Friday, remember that Human Rights are not just a history lesson or words on a page. They are the choice we make everyday and a responsibility we all share, and this begins at home.
Love,
Rupert & Roo.
In 1996, President Nelson Mandela signed South Africa's first democratic constitution into law at the site of the Sharpville Massacre. The beginning of the Constitution of South Africa highlights the importance of human rights:
We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to --
Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;
Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.May God protect our people.
This Friday, remember that Human Rights are not just a history lesson or words on a page. They are the choice we make everyday and a responsibility we all share, and this begins at home.
Love,
Rupert & Roo.