The Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) and the Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL), call on all citizens to promote human rights.
On Monday, December 10, the
world will observe Human Rights Day. This year Human Rights Day will mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. The theme is: Stand
up for human rights! The UN’s official
hashtag for the campaign to promote and defend universal human rights
is #StandUp4HumanRights.
As the UN states,
“December 10 also marks the launch for the 50th anniversary of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Together with the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these two covenants form the
International Bill of Human Rights. This campaign will highlight the value
of freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from
fear.” This Bill is the glue that binds us together globally.
The former UN Deputy
Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson rightly said: “There can be no peace
without development, no development without peace, and no lasting peace or
sustainable development without respect for human rights and the rule of
law.”
Even though our
human rights are based on shared values like dignity,
respect, equality, fairness, and independence; and even though
these are usually protected in many countries’ Constitutions and Laws, we live
in a country/world where each day the rights of billions are being
trampled upon.
And while some of us may
live in relative freedom, let us never fail to champion the cause of those who
yearn for theirs. Each of us is responsible not only to uphold human
rights but to promote them.
The Catholic Church
teaches that the most fundamental of social justice principles, upon which all
other principles are based, is the sanctity of life and the dignity of the
human person. Whatever faith we belong to, the basic tenets of that faith
call us not to sit on the sidelines; not to be indifferent, but to speak out
against the many human rights violations. You and I can and must make a
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Pope Francis
has said: “The firm commitment for human rights springs from an awareness
of the unique and supreme value of each person – made in the image and likeness of
God… We believe that the measure of any society is whether what we do
threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person…Human rights
are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by
unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities.”
Today, human rights are
in crisis. In a world in which many have lost their moral compass and
in which selfishness, greed, secularism and moral relativism obfuscate
priorities and stand as obstacles to God’s mercy, the Catholic Church
calls on all followers of Christ and people of goodwill to stand on the side of
justice; to respect, protect and promote human rights which are
described in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church as being
universal, inalienable and inviolable.
And St Pope John XXIII
reminded us in his Charter of Rights (1963 encyclical, Peace on Earth),
that “in human society one’s natural right gives rise to a
corresponding duty in others; the duty, that is, of recognising and respecting
that right…. To claim one’s rights and ignore one’s duties, or only half fulfil
them, is like building a house with one hand and tearing it down with the other.”
Are we doing all that we
can in T&T to fulfil our human rights obligations? Today, read the 30
Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reflect on
whether or not your own biases and prejudices cause you to harden your hearts
against those whose rights you should be championing; commit to speak out/write
about injustices/human rights violations and to promote the common good.
We call on
our Government to examine its legislation, policies,
procedures, and practices to ensure they are people-centred; that they
promote the full range of human rights; and that they seek to build the common
good.
Let’s work to improve
our human rights record.
