12/12/2024
The discourse on human rights should observe new emerging rights
11 December, 2-24
Maseru - The World commemorated the World Human Rights Day on Tuesday, 10th December, 2024. This year’s theme is ‘Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now’. The Human Rights Day is normally celebrated on the last day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.
The Commemoration of human rights day follows the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948 - Paris, France.
The commemoration normally highlights progress made by countries of the world in observing the cardinal tenets in the trajectory of human rights. The progress on human rights trajectory is with regard to observance of human rights, respect for human rights of our fellow beings and taking accountability for the human rights, normally by individuals and governments.
The Declaration enshrines the basic human rights that citizens of every country are entitled to as human beings. These rights cannot be taken away from citizens. Protection of human rights is not a privilege, but a fundamental right that bears responsibility on governments. This is without recourse to race, colour, religion, s*x, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
The UDHR is a World blueprint for international, national, and local laws and policies and a bedrock of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, especially on observance of human rights.
The UDHR was crafted 76 years ago and like any other phenomena, human rights are not expected to remain static.
They too undergo various transitions, mainly because they are about human beings, who are change-oriented in character.
The process of change affects human beings, who emanate from communities, which evolve overtime.
Today, 76 years after proclamation of the UDHR, many critical issues have emerged. These include the information super highway, which has many implications for society, positive and negative.
Civil and Political rights
These are the rights which accrue to individuals, and allow them to participate in the political life of their communities without fear of discrimination or repression. They do so without fear of discrimination or repression. Civil and political rights are tied closely to citizenship status.
Political rights are considered ‘first-generation rights’ in the theory of three generations of human rights. They were the first part of the 1948 UDHR. Economic, social, and cultural rights made up the second part.
While political rights emphasise and protect the citizens’ right to vote in an election, but these rights also talk directly to the right to join a political party. It includes the right to run for office; and participate freely in political rallies, events, or protests.
Political rights provide citizens’ freedom of association, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, the right to petition, the right of self-defense and also then the procedural fairness in law, such as the right to a fair trial.
Political rights are protected by national constitutions, international and regional treaties. At the international level, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the most comprehensive treaty, protects these rights internationally.
The ever-changing political, economic, social and cultural environments also necessitate transitions in the discourse on human rights. In other words, focus should no longer be on the political rights, but shift to other emerging rights as well.
Digital rights
The advent of the information society has come with technological advances, which have exposed citizens to cyber insecurity, misinformation and disinformation.
Citizens in any member state of the United Nations are active participants in the communication space as information producers, consumers and debunkers.
They are also purveyors of negativities such as misinformation, disinformation, mal-information, fake news, deep fakes and hate speech. These are negativities because they do not bode well with society and infringe on the rights of others.
The nerve centre of human rights is observance of the rights of others, which includes citizens need to remain within their own lanes as they enjoy their rights and freedoms.
Observance is about not intruding into terrain of others as people enjoy their rights, which is not observed by purveyors of as misinformation, disinformation, mal-information, fake news, deep fakes and hate speech.
It therefore behoves the UDHR to be awake to these transitions in the communication space, which have a bearing on the right to freedom of speech.
Environmental rights
There is a growing push to recognize the right to a clean environment and to hold governments and companies accountable for environmental degradation.
The right to a healthy environment includes the right to clean air, a safe and stable climate, access to safe water and adequate sanitation.
Also prominent in the discourse on other equality important rights is the right to healthy and sustainably produced food, non-toxic environments as well as a healthy biodiversity and ecosystems.
As governments carry the responsibility to protect the political rights of citizens, they are equally accountable for the environmental rights of citizens.
They have to prevent pollution, combat climate change and promote biodiversity, while at the same time, preventing damage to the environment.
12/10/2025
15/11/2024
15/11/2024
07/11/2024
02/04/2024
01/03/2024
28/12/2023
28/12/2023
28/12/2023