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  • Eleanor Roosevelt holding a poster of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
    In Depth
    10 December 2015

    Eleanor Roosevelt holding a poster of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Dec. 10 is a day to commemorate the rights all human beings are entitled to.

The world celebrates Human Rights Day every Dec. 10, honoring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines the global rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the UDHR's 30 articles Dec. 10, 1948, which include rights such as:

- the right to life, liberty and security of person
- slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms
- no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
- no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile
- everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state, everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

But the world is still very far away from making the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While international treaties, human rights instruments and governments have incorporated many aspects of the UDHR’s 30 Articles, many are applied selectively or not applied at all. Below are videos from across the America’s to illustrate how some countries still experience basic human rights violations, and which point to the kinds of social and material transformations that are required to overcome the human rights violations that still exist today.

Do NGOs Really Defend Human Rights?

teleSUR English speaks with journalist and media analyst Keane Bhatt, who expresses his frustration at the UDHR, which he says is riddled with hypocrisy.

Bhatt says the U.S. and its allies lack respect for some of the "fundamental basic norms of international laws." Citing recent wars waged by U.S. in the Middle East, Bhatt condemns nongovernmental organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which he says do not recognize the safeguards in the U.N. Charter. Read more here, or watch the video below.

How the Human Rights Industry Undermines Palestinian Liberation

by Budour Hassan

When Palestinians of all walks of life articulated their demands for their right of determination, freedom, dignity and justice during the First Intifada that began in December 1987, they did not act under the auspices of such organizations.

They were not propelled by the Universal Declaration for Human Rights or by follow-up human rights treaties and conventions. Rather, they were inspired by the tide of anti-colonial and liberation struggles in the Global South, from North Africa to Latin America. READ MORE

International Day of the Victims of Genocide

In 2015, the day before Human Rights Day, the first ever International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime was marked. Read more about this important new day of recognition.

Colombia’s Human Rights Defenders Face Threats

While it’s true that the number of murders of human rights defenders in Colombia has dropped, from 78 in 2013 to 55 in 2014, death threats have increased by 133 percent in the same time period. These are directed against human rights and peace activists, as well as leaders of social movements, many of whom are involved in land rights struggles. Defenders are especially worried about the dangers facing them even as there appears to be advances in the peace process and say their situation must change in order for peace to exist in Colombia.

The Case of the 43 Ayotzinapa Students

The 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers training college in Mexico were kidnapped following a police attack Sept. 26, 2014, and have not been heard from since. Their "disappearance" has been a major scandal in Mexico and internationally. This program explains the events in the case and its political significance and features interviews with Ayotzinapa students and family members of the disappeared.

IN DEPTH: Justice for Ayotzinapa

Racism in the United States

The fatal shooting of unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson in 2014 brought the issue of systemic racim in U.S. police forces to the fore of social and political debate, as well as sparking the Black Lives Matter movement.

IN DEPTH: Black Lives Matter

Migrants Face Danger in Journey Through Mexico

The plight of Central American migrants on their way to the United States, making the dangerous journal through Mexico on top of freight trains. In Mexico, they often fall victim to hunger, violence, extortion, kidnapping and even death, in what has become a major human rights issue. The "Casa del Migrante" provides much needed help to the migrants.

ANALYSIS: Immigration in the US: What Happened to Reform?

Colombia's False-Positives Scandal

In late 2007 young men began disappearing from the streets in Soach, Colombia, a poor district on the outskirts of Bogota, and their bodies turned up in mass graves a year later. Authorities claimed they were guerrilla fighters, but their families knew otherwise. The discovery of the bodies gave rise to what became known as the "false-positives scandal", civilians being killed and reported as guerrilla casualties.

IN DEPTH: The Colombian Peace Process Explained

Militarization of Public Security in Honduras

The militarization of public security in Honduras, in which President Porfirio Lobo ordered the armed forces to step in and take on duties normally reserved for the police, has resulted in the deaths of seven persons. The death of 15-year-old Ebed Jassiel Yañez, who was killed for ignoring an order to halt, is the first time such a case has been brought to court. Other similar cases are now being filed as well, and their outcome could have significant repercussions. Ebed's father Wilfredo Yañez explains what's at stake.

ANALYSIS: Violence in Honduras Since the 2009 Coup

The Dangerous Irony of Europe’s Counterterrorism Policy

by Naomi Cohen

The broad-reaching threat of mass surveillance is growing in Europe. European states have long been buffing up their intelligence apparatuses individually, but since the Paris attacks of November 13, European integration presents itself as more than a political and economic project. Nervous lawmakers have injected new force into security bills long stalled, piloted or even rejected. The result is a slew of policies with the claimed aim of protecting citizens through coordinated and enhanced intelligence—but the effect of degrading the protection of civil liberties and human rights. READ MORE

Human Rights, War & Imperialism​

by Daniel Bey

teleSUR English spoke to author Jean Bricmont on how the industry and ideology of human rights has been used to justify imperialism and undermine the efficiency of the European and North American left. READ MORE

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