W`hen we look around the world today, we see that the people of many countries do not have their human rights fully respected, honoured, protected and celebrated by the governments that have the duty to do so. In fact, everywhere there are many violations by state agencies, police and military and fellow citizens.
The human species aspires to the highest values of being human but is weak, remiss and dismissive in implementing and respecting those high ideals of the rights inherent in the species because they are human.
Everyone should be aware that every person, according to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has inalienable rights that must be respected and protected. Irrespective of their nationality, ethnic origin, sex, gender, colour, religion, language or any other status, every person has universal rights. These are the rights: to life, to water, food, security, family, employment, education, freedom and health and the right to live as they choose.
They have their rights to freedom, not to be forced against their will to live according to the will and regulations imposed on them by the state or a group more powerful than them. The principle of universality means that everyone, without exception, is equally entitled to live with their human rights respected and protected, especially by the state.
The true reason for protest is because every human is of equal value and shares the same rights as everyone else. ‘To violate one is to violate al’ we can say, because we are all one humanity. There should never be discrimination against anyone but the greatest crime against humanity is that there is discrimination, ethnic hatred, and racism against millions of human beings today.
When we see the violation of human rights, whether it is the rights of an individual, a group, or an ethnic minority, we have to protest. We need to expose the violations, which can be a serious crime against humanity. Each of us, as humans, must demand that the violations end and the perpetrators be held accountable. If we don’t, then we too could be victims of such human rights abuses. While that is self-preservation, it is not the true reason we have to cry out.
The true reason for protest is because every human is of equal value and shares the same rights as everyone else. “To violate one is to violate all” we can say, because we are all one humanity. There should never be discrimination against anyone but the greatest crime against humanity is that there is discrimination, ethnic hatred, and racism against millions of human beings today.
In the Philippines, a report on last June 4 from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR] revealed there have been 208 human rights defenders and activists killed by assassins including forest protectors. The war-on-drugs police have verified that about 5,903 suspects have been killed in shoot-outs.
The OHCHR put the figure at 8,663 killed. Many more have been killed by vigilante gunmen. Rodrigo Duterte, the Phiippine president, says it is evidence of success in saving the nation from the scourge of the illegal drug menace.
In Myanmar, the violation of the rights of the people has escalated since 2020. The most recent atrocity was when a military truck ploughed into a small group of protesters and then the soldiers shot and killed the demonstrators. Four were killed by the truck and many injured. The military junta that staged a coup last 2020 has violated the people’s human rights with arbitrary shooting, detention, torture, arrests and killing captives in the jails. Extra-judicial killings are common.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
The plight of the Rohingya is worsening inside Myanmar. A campaign of ethnic cleansing based on hate and rejection in Rakhine State by the military has displaced hundreds of thousands within Myanmar. Already, 740,000 Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh for safety.
The world has a long way to go to evolve to an intelligent, compassionate place where human rights are respected and upheld and protected. There is no greater mission one could have than to defend in every way possible the human rights of every single person, especially those of women and children.
Father Shay Cullen
www.preda.org
shaycullen@gmail.com
