Human Rights Day
Category News
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”
- Nelson Mandela
What is Human Rights Day?
Human Rights Day is a national holiday commemorated annually on 21 March to remind South Africans of the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for democracy in South Africa. The commemoration provides the country with an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the promotion and protection of human rights, and the day has been earmarked to commemorate and honour those who fought for our liberation and the rights we enjoy today.
The Constitution is the ultimate protector of our Human Rights, which were previously denied to the majority of our people under Apartheid. We commemorate Human Rights Day to reinforce our commitment to the Bill of Rights as enshrined in our Constitution, which is hailed as one of the most progressive in the world.
Where did it originate?
The 1960s were characterised by systematic defiance and protest against Apartheid across the country. On 21 March 1960, the community of Sharpeville and Langa townships, like their fellow compatriots across the country, embarked on a march to protest against pass laws. While little is known about what really sparked this tragic event, the Pan Africanist Congress – under the leadership of Robert Sobukwe – appealed to all African men to take a stand against such the humiliating law, leave their pass books (also known as the dompas) at home, go to their nearest police station and demand to be incarcerated for not carrying the demeaning document. The police then, upon seeing the masses of people marching, opened fire on the crowd in a state of fear.
The police shot and killed 69 of the protesters, many of them shot while fleeing, with 180 more injured. The tragedy came to be known as the Sharpeville Massacre and it exposed the Apartheid government’s deliberate violation of human rights to the world.
What are our human rights?
Equality – everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
Human dignity – everyone has inherent dignity and have their dignity respected and protected.
Freedom of movement and residence – everyone has a right to freedom of movement and to reside anywhere in the country.
Language and culture – everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice.
Life - everyone has the right to life.
Today, the South African constitution protects individual rights, like the right to move freely without a pass book, with its inclusion of the Bill of Rights, and citizens are entitled to basic human dignity and more in the country’s current democracy.
What can we do this Human Right’s Day?
- Teach your kids the basic human rights that they are entitled to, and maybe discuss what it is like for less fortunate people who don’t have these.
- Explain to them what Apartheid was, and the struggles experienced under the regime.
- Sign a petition on behalf of a prisoner of conscience in another country - we no longer have these, but you can tell them about Robben Island.
- Volunteer to help serve a meal at a homeless shelter, or make “care packages” and deliver them to charities.
- Raise money from friends or neighbours for a charitable organisation working on human rights, e.g. The Foundation for Human Rights (FHR)
- Indulge in learning a few phrases in another of the 11 official languages our country is known for. Even just learn “Hello” - “Sawubona” (Zulu), “Molo” (Xhosa), “Lumela” (Southern Sotho), etc. The awareness that there are other cultures that people are entitled to celebrate is the beginning of respect.
- South African cuisine is a unique fusion of many different external cultural influences. These include Dutch, French, Indian and Malaysian flavours and techniques that continue to make their way onto the menus of restaurants and into the homes of locals - explain to your children where these appeared in our heritage.
- Still stuck? Why not experience it in person, on the Johannesburg City Sightseeing Red Bus; they do daily bus tours of Soweto, Chancellor House, Kliptown Open Air museum, Constitution Hill, and the Apartheid Museum, as well as the Hector Peterson memorial in Orlando West.
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Author: Georgina Roberts
