Every year, on the 10th of December, we celebrate one of the most important day for all individuals, the International Day of Human Rights.
When did we start to talk about Human rights?
Human rights have been enshrined in the history of humanity for a long time. Although the idea of human rights dates back to ancient times, the modern concept only emerged after World War II with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 by the United Nations. Only after the atrocities of the Second World War, the deaths of more than 50 million people and the extermination of the Jewish people made it necessary to create an instrument capable of safeguarding the fundamental rights and dignity of each individual without distinction "of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, of national or social origin, wealth, birth or other conditions' (Article 1 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights). To this date, it is possible to identify a historical evolution of the concept of human rights and divide them into three different categories or "generations of rights", which has an important impact on their development.
What are the different categories of rights?
The first category that has been developed referred to the civil and political rights which protect personal autonomy from the state's interference and are ensuring the participation of individuals in the political decision of the State. We can assume that this first "category" of human rights came with a revolution, the French Revolution, which has resulted in the adoption of the Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights of 1789. Among civil rights in the declaration from 1789, we can find freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, freedom of expression, equality before the law, and the right to personal security, and in the political rights, we can find rights that are granting the participation of citizens in political life. What is referred to as the second generation of human rights are the Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which have been enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. This "new generation" of human rights include the right to work, the right to association, the right to education, and the right to social assistance. They also include a new and important aspect of the positive and active intervention by the state, to guarantee the enjoyment of equal rights for all citizens. Finally, and the least important is the third generation as they are the most recent development of human rights. They include the rights of women, LGBT, Children, Indigenous people, Refugees, and all other vulnerable groups in our society. These rights also include the right to peace, development, humanitarian assistance, and environmental protection. It is important to remember the evolution of human rights, as their development needed to begin with a Revolution. We should promote and protect these rights, as unfortunately not all were equally protected during the evolution of human rights, not even nowadays, many vulnerable groups need our assistance and advocacy, to protect rights that belong to them! And we should always remember that Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings - they are not granted by any state!
What did we set up for the Human Rights day?
On the International Human Rights day, our volunteers also tried to refer on the importance of the concept of human rights. Therefore, Samra and Clemence our volunteers in Sassari did a campaign on the occasion of International Human Rights Day and met young migrants who are currently at the Sprar Austis Centre for migrants and refugees for an activity that has led us to think together about the importance of human rights in the lives of each of us. This meeting, which took place online due to covid restrictions, was a nice moment of sharing and exchange of values of human rights, diversity and it’s beauty. The second activity included the donation of the masks (and a smile) to the many people who came to the canteen of the association Caritas Diocesana Sassari to take their daily hot meal. The donation of masks is a symbol of the values of Human Rights that protect ourselves and those around us, anytime and anywhere. This may be linked to the central idea of human rights: we must protect our rights, but we must also be assertive towards the protection of the rights of others. Along with the masks, a message was delivered, which no one should ever forget: "Knowing Human Rights is the first step to achieving gender equality and combating violence." Let us all remember together, every day, that our rights are inviolable!
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