Human Rights Day
A state or
a government is legally and morally obligated to uphold human rights. A government that fails to do so appears as
tyrannical or dictatorial. The basic rights of an
individual cannot be denied by applying physical force
The UN Human Rights Day was observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world in a befitting manner yesterday. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 10 December, 1948 in Paris. The declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. Every human being is born in the world with some inherent rights such as right to life, right to property, right to freedom, right to education, right to healthcare, etc. Even a prisoner or an accused awaiting gallows enjoys some rights according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
A state or a government is legally and morally obligated to uphold human rights. A government that fails to do so appears as tyrannical or dictatorial . The basic rights of an individual cannot be denied by applying physical force. When it occurs, it is a clear violation of human rights. It is very unfortunate to note that violation of human rights is occurring both individually and collectively. This violation is occurring worldwide. Striving to establish peace without ensuring justice is like building castles in the air. Establishment of justice cannot be expected without establishing rule of law. And where there is no rule of law anarchy may prevail there. The conditions of the people living in such a state may be precarious, to say the least. Absence of human rights understandably give rise to repression, suppression, tyranny and intimidation. These may create unrest and resentment among people. It may even end up in revolution and mass uprising. It is a very delicate issue that requires careful handling.
The governments of some powerful countries that shout for establishment of human rights are themselves found violators of the same on close scrutiny. For example, the people of Palestine had long been deprived of human rights. They had to bear the stigma of stateless citizens and had to spend long years in refugee camps because the human rights of the Palestinian people were ignored by the rulers of these countries who established Israel at the expense of the Arab population. Violation of human rights is widespread in Myanmar. Even in our neighbouring India the human rights of Muslims are being violated on a large scale.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reaffirmed Bangladeshs unwavering commitments to upholding the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people around the world as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the occasion of the Human Rights Day. Her government is striving to improve the human rights situation in the country. It is expected her efforts in this regard will be more and more successful in the months and years ahead.
