CHRI Africa office commemorate International Human Rights day with students

The United Nations General Assembly has set aside December 10th yearly as the day to celebrate Human Rights Day across the world.

In commemoration of the day when the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. That Declaration forms the backbone of the human rights architecture of our societies, where each of us – without discrimination – has the right to live and thrive in peace and safety.

Since its adoption, laws and, policies embracing human rights have made us freer. Children can assert their needs, women can make their own choices, persons with disabilities can live more independently, and we all enjoy safeguards against tyranny and abuse. But this acquis is not for granted. Worse, it is under threat.

There are people trapped in conflict zones; men, women and children who die while seeking our protection; people who are left at the margin of society and discriminated; people who continue to be repressed, beaten or killed because they seek the truth or just express themselves. People who are still locked-up in their disability, or who are trafficked and exploited.

But none of this is inevitable and we all have a crucial role to play, no matter how small. This Human Rights Day, consider how essential human rights are for each person and let’s use them every day as our compass to seek justice, equality, peace and freedom for all.

This year's celebrations was under the theme 'Youth Standing Up For Human Rights’ was marked at Kaneshie Kingsway Cluster of Schools in Accra under the auspices of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative-CHRI Africa Office, Ghana.

Speaking at the sensitization event to pupils of the school the Head of CHRI Africa Ms Mina Mensah stated ' to ensure rights are respected nor abused, the youth should be aware of the liberties they have and be encouraged to know by studying about human rights to ascertain when their fundamental human rights are infringed upon at any given time'

The office also made a donation of text books to the school's library to foster the teaching and learning of pupils to do well at their terminal and final basic education examinations.