Human Rights Day (December 10, 2022): Know Your Right To Health

Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10 annually across the world. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly accepted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This was the first worldwide enunciation of human rights and one of the nascent UN’s first major successes. The Human Rights Day was formally established on December 4, 1950, during the 317th Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. This is when the General Assembly passed Resolution 423(V), asking all member nations and other interested parties to observe the day as they find suitable.

High-level political conferences or meetings as well as cultural events talking about human rights concerns are usually held on this World Human Rights Day. Moreover, the United Nations Prize in Human Rights and the Nobel Peace Prize are traditionally bestowed on December 10 every five years. Numerous civil and social-cause groups as well as many governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the field of human rights hold special activities to honour the day.

How is Human Rights Day Celebrated?

Human Rights Day is commemorated every year with a different subject. This is done to enhance public awareness and implant the value of human rights in people’s thinking.

Political conferences, seminars, exhibitions, cultural events, debates, and a variety of other programmes are held to commemorate the day and address all aspects of human rights. The majority of the events on this International Human Rights Day are targeted at educating people, particularly children and teens, about their human rights. Some of the protests are also staged to create awareness among individuals who live in locations where human rights are ignored or violated.

Objectives of Celebrating Human Rights Day

The Human Rights Day is observed by people all across the world to:

1. Raise public awareness of human rights.
2. Highlight the efforts of the United Nations General Assembly to improve global human rights standards.
3. Get together and rejoice in unity to address and highlight specific human rights concerns.
4. Encourage women, minorities, youth, underprivileged, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and others to participate in the activity and political decision-making.

Health and Well-Being as a Human Right

“The enjoyment of the highest achievable standard of health is one of every human being’s fundamental rights, regardless of race, religion, political belief, economic or social circumstance.” These remarks, almost 70 years after they were enshrined in the World Health Organization’s Constitution, are more powerful than ever. International Human Rights Day aims to empower all citizens in the world to take a stand for their basic rights. The right to health has been core to WHO’s mission and purpose since its inception. Let’s discuss the core points important for health and wellbeing this Human Rights Day:

1. Access to Primary Healthcare

Major emphasis should be given to access to primary healthcare this World Human Rights Day. Everyone’s right to health means that they should be able to get the healthcare they need, when and where they need it, without facing financial difficulty. Nobody must get ill and die just because they are impoverished or unable to obtain the healthcare they require. Other basic human rights such as access to clean drinking water and hygiene, nutritional foods, suitable housing, education, and a safe working environment also have a role in good health.

2. Bodily Autonomy

This Human Rights Day, let is acknowledge the fact that everybody must have the right to govern their own body and health, have access to family planning information, and avail services that are free of violence and discrimination. Everyone has a right to privacy as well as to be treated with respect and dignity. Without full consent, no one should be subjected to medical experiments, forced medical examinations, or therapies.

3. Prioritising People

The World Health Organization advocates the concept of people-centred care, which is the essence of human rights in the practice of medicine. People’s physical and mental health suffer when they are treated as outcasts. People’s human rights are honoured, outcomes are improved, and health systems become more effective when they are active participants in their own care rather than passive beneficiaries.

Conclusion

So, to sum it up, Human Rights Day is celebrated on 10 December annually to raise awareness about the basic human rights that everyone should have access to. We still have a long way to go until everyone knows about their human rights and has access to them, regardless of who they are or where they live. This Human Rights Day, let us make ourselves and others understand the pivotal right to health.