HUMAN RIGHTS:
Are They Worth Celebrating?
BY CHLOE MARTINEZ | WRITER
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73 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rights that every human being, regardless of race, religion, gender or beliefs, are entitled to. Following the establishment of these rights, every year on December 10, the whole world celebrates these human rights to equality, to liberty, security and life.
Even with the establishment of these rights, rights that every human is entitled to by nature, there are several minority groups that still face discrimination and attacks both verbally and physically. Given the inequality and mistreatment of some minority groups in this day and age, the question that stands at this moment is loud and clear: “Is it still worth celebrating Human Rights Day?”
This year alone, we have seen multiple events in which Human Rights aren’t being upheld to their fullest. The pandemic has sent the whole world into a global panic, with nations on lockdown, hospitals full of COVID 19 patients and the issue of Asian Hate that has only increased since the virus spread back in 2020. As of August 2021, 4533 Asian hate incidents had been reported (Powell, 2021). Aside from the physical assaults, there have also been accounts of verbal and online harassment targeted towards Asians.
Reports of online harassment towards Asians only increased since the start of the pandemic with racist and xenophobic slurs being thrown at them online. 29% of Asian Americans have experienced online harassment and 53% agree that there has only been a spike of this online harassment since 2020.
Brutal, physical attacks have also left some in hospitals, and it has become unsafe for these individuals to walk outside of the comfort of their home. Attacks have been recorded and spread online for the whole world to see: individuals being harassed while simply walking down the street, pushed in front of a moving vehicle, or assaulted by a random passerby.
Would Human Rights Day be worth celebrating if this group of people is being deprived of security?
The Taliban, a military organization, took control of the major cities of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the US Military. The organization could potentially deprive the Afghan people of their rights, sending Afghanistan into a humanitarian crisis. Though they have promised to respect the rights of their community, it is uncertain how long this “peace” will last. Many Afghans have gone so far as to hang onto the outside of a plane in an attempt to leave Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
Would Human Rights Day be worth celebrating if this country is being deprived of liberty?
The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group in Northwest China made up mostly of Muslims. Recently, China has been accused of holding the Uyghurs and several Muslim groups in what China refers to as “re-education camps”. However there have been claims that these camps are used to torture the detainees.
Countries have spoken up about China’s treatment of the Uyghurs, accusing the country of committing genocide. China’s response has been that the re-education camps are necessary to prevent terrorism and extremism. However, former detainees have spoken up about the torture and punishment Uyghurs face in the camps.
Would Human Rights Day be worth celebrating if these people are being deprived of life?
The answer is yes. Human Rights should still be celebrated, not as a show of privilege but as a reminder that while there are those that are fortunate enough to still have their basic human rights, there are thousands out there who have been stripped of their right to life, liberty, and security.
Yes, the system fails to address these issues and resolving them seems bleak, however it does not erase the meaning of human rights. It does not erase the very thing the human rights stands for: equality for all. No matter how hopeless it seems, human rights are still worth fighting for and should be fought for.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” To solve the issues that 2021 has brought, humanity must view one another as equals and address the discrimination that prevails. Celebrating Human Rights Day is a fight against inequality that sets humanity apart.
Artwork made by Keisha Castillo
The United Nations General Assembly founded these rights all those years ago in hopes that humanity would treat each other as equals. Unfortunately, even in the modern day these rights are not being upheld to their fullest. Being able to celebrate one’s rights and even having them during this time is a privilege that we should maximize to help those who are deprived of their own. Celebrating Human Rights Day this 2021 would act as a reminder for the whole world that there is still a lot of work to be done.
References
United Nations. (n.d.). Human rights day. https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day
Hutchinson, B. (2021, May 7). Asian hate incident data shows discrimination skyrocketing in pandemic: Report. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/asian-hate-incident-data-shows-discrimination-skyrocketing-pandemic/story?id=77539420
Powell, T. (2021, August 12). More than 9,000 anti-Asian incidents reported since start of COVID pandemic, report finds. CBC News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-than-9000-anti-asian-incidents-since-start-of-covid-pandemic-stop-aapi-hate-report/
Maizland, L. (2021, September 15). The Taliban in Afghanistan. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan
Taliban hold military parade with US-made weapons in Kabul in show of strength. (2021, November 15). India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/taliban-military-parade-us-made-weapons-kabul-1876739-2021-11-15
Smith, E. (2021, October 5). The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan could reshape counterinsurgencies in Africa, experts say. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/05/the-taliban-takeover-of-afghanistan-could-reshape-counterinsurgencies-in-africa-experts-say.html
BBC News. (June 21). Who are the Uyghurs and why is China being accused of genocide? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037
Schecter, A. (2021, June 10). New details of torture, cover-ups in China's internment camps revealed in Amnesty International report. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/new-details-torture-cover-ups-china-s-internment-camps-revealed-n1270014
The New York Times. (n.d.). Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/taliban-afghanistan
Bajak, A. & Guynn, J. (2021, March 24). Asian Americans report biggest increase in serious incidents of online hate and harassment during COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/03/24/asian-american-hate-crimes-covid-harassment-atlanta-google-facebook-youtube/6973659002/
Sabin, S. (2021, April 8). Social media companies are doing a ‘poor’ job moderating hate against Asian people, 2 in 5 Asian Americans say. https://morningconsult.com/2021/04/08/asian-americans-online-abuse-harassment-poll/
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