December 10, Human Rights Day

Diversity and equality are the spirit of society. Hence, the principle of non-discrimination lies at the very heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that we celebrate today. Yet, 61 years after its adoption, we still have to deal with dreadful offences to human dignity, which is violated and outraged on a daily basis.

Peoples around the world suffer from indifference and mistreatment, from poverty and wars. They endure a life of misery, forced, at times, to sell themselves or their children to survive.

We are all born equal and we are all entitled to the same rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that these rights must be enjoyed by each human being “without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” (Art.2 ).

However, groups of peoples are still left at the lowest levels of, or even outside of, society. They are not allowed to enter places of worship, use the same resources of water, or freely associate with others. They do not have freedom of movement nor are they included in decision-making. They are not entitled to have a legal working contract, holidays or sick leave.  

They are “invisible”.

This is the case of the Dalits in India or the young children that work in sweetshops in Pakistan; it is the case of the women from Eastern Europe, who are forced to leave their countries to support their families and end up in a brothel or on the streets; or the migrant workers in Lebanon, who are physically abused by their employers and regularly face suffering and humiliation.

Poverty and discrimination are deeply linked: deprivation and prejudice are the roots of such exploitations that some define as modern slavery.

Debt Bondage, the chronic economic enslavement of an individual or a group, is one of the plagues affecting humanity which goes against the spirit of this Declaration we want to commemorate.A person becomes a bonded labourer when his/her labour is demanded as a means of repayment for a loan, often for a very small amount such as the cost of medicine for a sick child. Once in debt, the person loses all control over their conditions of work and is forced to work long hours, often seven days a week, for very little or no pay.Debt Bondage practices are clandestine and ambiguous. This makes it difficult to have a clear picture of their scale and as a result to uncover, punish or eliminate them.

This year, Ms. Gulnara Shahinian, Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, highlighted how insufficient are the attentions given to this issue which affects millions of men, women and children all over the world.

The majority of those who suffer from economic slavery are the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised social groups in society. Fear, ignorance of one’s rights and the need to survive do not encourage them to speak out.

“We are all born free and equal” and we are entitled to have the same voice.

For the last 25 years, the people working at Franciscans International have been fighting to give voice to the voiceless; to remove the veil of indifference that imprisons the most vulnerable. We do believe that racial, economic and ethnic discriminations can and will be eradicated and that resources can and will be shared equally. We do trust in a global community in which the dignity of every person is respected and diversity is enhanced and treasured.

We believe that each and every one of us has the responsibility of promoting the respect of human rights and the protection of human dignity. 

We believe that we should all be human rights defenders!