Editorial
Human Rights Day
Strengthen institutions and increase people's awareness
One wonders looking back to 63 years to this day whether we as a nation have been able to fulfill the pious aims enshrined in the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
The essence, or perhaps the soul of the Declaration, is Article 3 that asserts the right of every individual to life, liberty and the security of his or her person. The moot question after all these years is where and how have the states failed to fulfill what has now, over time, come to be accepted as a contract between governments and their peoples. And that is what we must ask ourselves too.
The world is observing today the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the form of the world's Human Rights Day. And we are certain that it will be celebrated with much fanfare and flourish in Bangladesh too. And that is what begs the very question.
Regrettably, our commitment as a nation, to ensuring the basic rights of our people, has been restricted to articulations of intent and expression of hopes without much substance in practice. Unfortunately, it seems that our successive governments have failed to see the symbiotic linkage between human rights and good governance, justice and fair play and the rule of law.
While the concept of human rights has been flaunted at random, very little has been done to realize the aspirations contained in the Declaration. And that is so because the people are hardly aware of their rights, particularly the poor and the socially and economically marginalised and other vulnerable groups. And when there is lack of awareness there will be very little motivation to fight for it.
Also, our institutions entrusted with the task of ensuring the rights of the people suffer from inherent weaknesses that have been, inexplicably, left unaddressed by all the successive governments.
It should, therefore, be our resolve on this day to increase people's awareness of their rights and also to strengthen the democratic institutions so that they can play their due role without fear or favour.
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