It might only be the start of December, but today marks one of the real highlights of the festive season for us at Scottish Refugee Council; today is Human Rights Day.
Today recognises the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As the first truly global assertion of the inalienable rights of every human being, the declaration truly deserves to be celebrated. It expresses the essential ethos of the human rights movement, which we’re very proud to play a part.
The most obvious and commonly cited rights were all included in the declaration – the right to freedom from slavery, to a presumption of innocence before the law etc. – but two particularly relevant to our work can too often be overlooked:
Firstly,
“Everyone has the right to seek, and to enjoy in other countries, asylum from persecution”
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 14
Though it might seem obvious, the importance of this statement to our work cannot be underestimated. As an organisation we try to fulfil and facilitate a fundamental human need and human right – to escape persecution and to access those rights abroad which have been denied at home.
Secondly,
“No one will be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor suffer attacks on their reputation”
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 12
All too often in our work we see that governments can and do violate this right. Many of our clients find themselves in Scotland over the festive period, torn from the bonds of their homes and families.
So while Hogmanay and Hanukkah, Christmas and Diwali, Thanksgiving and Burns’ Night will all get their mentions elsewhere, I would like to wish you a hopeful and happy Human Rights Day from all of us at Scottish Refugee Council.
