Human Rights Day is observed on 10 December every year. On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about people’s social, cultural, and physical rights. Further, it seeks to ensure the welfare of everyone.
Each year, the day is celebrated by holding cultural events, public meetings and seminars, and other educational activities at various institutions.
Significance of Human Rights Day
This day encourages nations to create equal opportunities for everyone and address the issues of inequality, exclusion, and discrimination. There are some absolute rights which all human beings are entitled to. And this is irrespective of their race, colour, religion, sex, language, ideologies, birth, and so on. This important day seeks to celebrate this and remind everyone about their duty towards this.
Since 1968, the International Year for Human Rights, the UN has been awarding the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.
Theme for this year
The theme for this year is ‘Reducing Inequalities and Advancing Human Rights’. This theme is related to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This Article states, ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It is noteworthy that the UDHR is the second most translated document in history.
This theme is significant for a number of reasons. Equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. This particular theme indicates that the international community is making efforts to find solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination. The victims of such discrimination are women, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, indigenous people, racial minorities, and so on. It is important to adopt a human rights-based approach to ensure equality and inclusion for all.
Previously, the themes have included ending discrimination, protecting victims of human rights violations, fighting poverty, and so on.
Smile Foundation’s work towards equality
At Smile Foundation, we believe that everyone deserves equal rights and equal opportunities. India has a large number of vulnerable people who do not have equal access to education and opportunities. We are constantly working to ensure that these people get the chance to be at par with the privileged few.
Whether it is education, health, our work with women, or training youth for a sustainable livelihood, we are working towards equality in each of these fields.
