Letters to the Editor

Make NHRC meaningful

December 10, 2023 00:00:00

Human Rights Day is observed globally every year on December 10. On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was a milestone document which proclaims that everyone is inherently entitled as a human being regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The day recalls the struggle and sacrifice made by those who worked for equality and basic human rights. With this year's theme 'Freedom, Equality and Justice for All', International Human Rights Day 2023 will be observed in Bangladesh on Sunday as elsewhere across the globe.

In the light of the charter of the United Nations, many countries in the world have started giving importance to the issue of human rights. However, the question still remains whether we have been able to reduce the discrimination between people. The disparity between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, has not yet lessened. Rather, it is increasing. In a word, the culture of human rights is not yet fully developed. Very few countries in the world have managed to develop human rights as a culture. Democracy is synonymous with human rights. Human rights are incomplete without democracy. Again, those who neglect human rights cannot be called democratic. Therefore, upholding human rights is a noble duty for any democratic society.

The National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh (NHRC), a state-funded but independent body, was established in 2019 in the country to investigate human rights violations. In terms of maintaining human rights in the country, this organisation can play a significant role. The commission should come forward and make people aware of their own rights and take action against human rights violations so that the NHRC can play its role as an effective institution.

Ashikujaman Syed,

Research Assistant,

Bioinformatics Research Lab,

Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),

[email protected]