Taking Back our Human Rights
Each year we celebrate Human Rights Day in honour of all those who fought, struggled and died for the freedom of rights we enjoy today. In South Africa, 21stMarch is the anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. While this is often an emotional day, it is also one to commemorate the positive changes that have taken place globally.
Instead of focusing on the immeasurable human suffering over the years, we take a look at some of the major changes in legislation that liberated different people, genders and cultures around the world.
WOMEN ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE
While it may seem ordinary to many, the right to vote hasn’t always been a given, not only for all races, but also for both genders. In some places around the world women are still harshly discriminated against and denied their basic right to vote. It was only in New Zealand in 1893 that women were first liberated and given a chance to voice their opinions. This was ratified in 1948 when women’s voting rights were introduced into international law when the United Nations (UN) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN AMERICA
From Africa to America, slavery has existed throughout history, in one form or another. People have been captured and, by the cruel crack of a whip, denied their basic right to freedom. They have been coerced into different forms of forced labour by those more powerful than they. On 1st January 1863, Abraham Lincoln, the then president of America, issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all slaves within certain states to be free. Slavery in America wasn’t fully abolished until the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution came into effect on 18th December 1865. Other nations around the globe followed suit and passed their own anti-slavery acts. There are, however, many problems that still exist worldwide, including human trafficking, prostitution and forced child labour.
SUPPRESSION OF ABORIGINES IN AUSTRALIA
During the early days of European settlement in Australia, the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869 was enacted by the government. Aborigines were displaced and persecuted. From marriages to employment, these native Australians’ natural rights were suppressed for many years. Policies were enacted which allowed those in power to send these native inhabitants to reserves or institutions. They were not considered human and could even be killed legally. In an effort to turn Aboriginal children into “useful” citizens, policies were established whereby they could be removed from their parents’ guardianship and forced to convert to common European religions. These children became know as “The Stolen Generation”. The plight of these people continued until the Aboriginal Protection Act was repealed in 1969.
THE END OF APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA
International sanctions affecting the economy, millions of unemployed people and intensifying black resistance were the main contributors to the demise of the Apartheid system in South Africa. The first steps were the un-banning of the ANC and the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in February 1990. Over the next few years, further negotiations between the National Party, under FW De Klerk, and other political parties took place in a forum known as the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). The result was the formation of the first constitution of South Africa and the Bill of Rights. It was in 1994, when the ANC won the majority vote in the national elections, that the struggle was finally over. For the first time, black South Africans didn’t need passes to walk in the streets and they didn’t have to endure racial segregation. They didn’t have to live in fear anymore. Democracy in our country had finally become something tangible and it had a face – Nelson Mandela.
South Africa is now one of the few countries worldwide to have a Bill of Rights protecting its people. In recognition of the need to educate the public and protect their rights, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) was established in 1996. It is an institution that aims to educate the public about their human rights, as well as the responsibilities related to them.
Wars have been fought, lives have been taken and people have been treated inhumanely. This Human Rights’ Day, take a moment to remember how far the world has come. Imagine how much more we can achieve if we stand together against those who deny others their basic human rights? Know your rights and know that you are equally responsible for them.
INTERESTING INFORMATION
· On 10th December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
· 10thDecember is International Human Rights Day.
· South African citizens’ basic human rights weren’t protected until the country became a constitutional democracy in 1994.
· The Bill of Rights is the foundation of democracy in our country.
POSSIBLE PULL QUOTES
· “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere . . . Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Martin Luther King Junior
· “Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or sovereign.” Mother Theresa
· “The time is always right to do right.” Nelson Mandela
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