Universal Human Rights Month

-Podcast-

Although December is often associated with the beginning of winter, cold and Christmas time, it is also Universal Human Rights month.


Universal Human Rights month was created to celebrate and spread awareness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The document was adopted by the General Assembly in December of 1948. A national coalition was formed to spread human rights in an actionable way.

The Declaration is composed of 30 articles, listing the rights humans have universally. The rights cover a majority of life itself, formed into four ‘columns.’

The first column covers the rights of the individual, as in the right to life and prohibition of slavery.

The second column covers the rights of the individual in civil and political society.

The third column consists of spiritual, public and political freedoms, as in freedom of religion and association.

The fourth column covers social, economic and cultural rights.

The declaration was signed by several countries, including Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, United States, Belgium, Denmark and Peru, among others.

This document is the most translated document in the world with more than 360 languages available.

Many countries celebrate specifically on December 10th, or Human Rights Day, marking the date the Declaration was signed.

In America in 2008, gay rights activists in California called out for support for the equal rights movement. In response to the renewed gay marriage ban when Proposition 8 was passed, they encouraged people to ‘call in ‘gay’’ to work.

Tom Malinowsky from Human Rights Watch in the U.S. commented on the progress of human rights over the past 40 years. "I think there is greater awareness around the world that people have fundamental rights and that those rights are enshrined in both law domestically and internationally,” Malinowsky said.

Human Rights Day is endorsed by the International Humanist and Ethical Union as an official day of Humanist celebration.

This day is celebrated by countries all over the world and is the high point in the United Nations calendar. The UN headquarters in New York City normally celebrates by conferences, meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues.

The five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and the Nobel Peace Prize awards are given out on this date to five lucky individuals who contribute to the growth of human rights.

Although the Declaration is not legally binding, it has influenced most national constitutions since 1948.

The Declaration continues to be widely cited by governments, academics, advocates and constitutional courts and individual human beings who appeal to its principles for the protection of their recognized human rights.