World Human Rights Day 2013

Human beings are the best creations on earth. But unfortunately, they are also the ones who often try to destroy their own races more than any other living species. Destructive outcome of exploitative authority during two World Wars seized attention of the world leaders. Consequently, the principle of universality of human rights was first emphasised in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights on 10th December in 1948. And the day is being observed across the world as the Human Rights Day since the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights.
With theme of 'Working for Your Rights', the 20th anniversary of Human Rights Day is being observed at a time when hundreds of people are being killed, dozens being burnt in blasts and millions being blockaded in their own houses in Bangladesh, let alone in other parts of the world where bombing and droning have become a daily affair. Sense of insecurity and uncertainty of both life and livelihood has worried more people now than any time in human history. Are we safe even after 65 years of the Declaration of Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Human rights are rights inherent in all human beings. The general theme of this day is that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. This day is also important for the United Nations prizes in the field of human rights. Since 1968 to this date, this prize has gone to 60 persons or different organisations. In most of the occasions, prizes are won in places where human rights are acutely violated and by some one who stood up for humanity at grave times.
The war that our fathers had waged back in 1971 is still being fought in our time for liberty, dignity and human rights. The brutalities that the ordinary people are forced to suffer every day in recent months could be seen and heard from countless innocent victims screaming in hospitals, often without adequate treatment facilities.  Dozens of people have been killed by attacks on public transports. Killing of innocent peddlers and burning of passengers have become a regular feature of daily life.  During the last two blockades enforced by the opposition party, 52 people were killed by crude, petrol bombs and other explosives (6 December, Prothom Alo).
The overall human rights situation worsened in Bangladesh. Even the safeguards of human rights, Bangladeshi security forces have been persistently criticised by the Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch for grave abuses of human rights. Extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and narrow political space to the opposition recently have overtaken other violations like rape, child marriage and trafficking. During clashes between the two political parties, minorities are the worse victims whose rights are often not considered as human rights. While the scars of the Ramu incident are still not healed, four temples and 40 houses of the Hindu community were vandalised and set on fire during attacks at Bongram village in Pabna district last month. According to recent reports from Odhikar, since January this year, 25 people disappeared, 281 extra-judicial killings took place, 142 journalists were injured and 789 women were raped in all over Bangladesh.
From highways to roads and from roads to streets, there has been a sense of insecurity and fears among people. Its effects spill over from economic sector to garment factories at the grassroots. Last month, a readymade garment factory of the Standard Group at Gazipur's Konabari has been burned down by 'agitated workers' following a rumour of a worker being shot to death. As many as 18,000 people who work at the factory have instantly become insecure over their livelihood in case they lose their jobs. Last month, 730 garment workers were injured during protests and two workers were gunned down by police during demonstrations.
Today Bangladesh is the second largest garment manufacturer after China. Around 5,000 factories with more than 5 million workers annually earn about $20 billion from exports of garment products for the country, working in most hazardous places and without any safety measures. A fire at the Sareka Garments killed 32 In December 1990, 22 at the Lusaka Garments near Dhaka in 1996, 53 at a fire at a garment factory in Narsingdi in 2000 and many more every year. But the Tazreen Fashions factory fire in Ashulia last year that killed 117 people and the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex, which killed more than 1,100 innocent people, shook the world by storm.
Bangladesh is experiencing an unprecedented period of continuous political instability since August 2005 when four hundred bombs exploded in 64 districts of the country. Political crisis affects the economy more than any other sector where livelihood of millions is involved. A recent study of the DCCI says, the country loses around Tk 16 billion on a day of hartal and 6.5 per cent of the GDP goes down the drain if there are 40 days of shutdown a year.
Democracy and human rights are conjoined. Democracy is tied to tolerance and tolerance brings respect. Respect leads to the protection of human rights. That's why Article 11 of our Constitution states that Bangladesh would be a democracy, with guaranteed human rights. The Human Rights Day in December comes to remind us once again at the very end of the year and on edge of the New Year, to make us look back, pause and think what we didn't do and what we can do in the coming year. Let us think and join hands for protecting universal human rights.
Let us recall what late Nelson Mandela used to say:
"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."
The writer is a 4th-year student, the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka.  [email protected]