Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world on 10 December each year. Over 70 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was signed by the United Nations General Assembly on this day. The UDHR was drafted by representatives from different countries around the world, and paved the way for many national and regional human rights laws and treaties.
Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria gives effect to some rights in the UDHR, including the rights to life, liberty, property, fair hearing, freedom from torture or degrading treatment, freedom of thought and religion, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, freedom of movement, and freedom from discrimination.
Incidentally, today is also the final day of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. In this light, the theme of Human Rights Day 2021 is apt: “Equality – Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights”. Gender inequality is one of the most prevalent issues across the world today. Due to socio-cultural norms that fuel patriarchy, women have remained marginalised in both public and private life.
In Nigeria, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, also known as the VAPP Act, criminalises a lot of practices that violate the rights of women and girls. These include female genital mutilation, harmful widowhood practices, and denial of inheritance rights. The VAPP Act has been domesticated by almost 20 states in Nigeria.
Despite this wide legal framework for rights protection, human rights abuses are still rife. As we celebrate Human Rights Day and also mark the end of the 16 Days campaign, we urge citizens to take action to better protect the rights of women and other marginalised groups in society. They can do this by educating themselves on the relevant human rights laws, speaking out against human rights abuses, and reporting human rights violations to the authorities. In this way, we will be one step closer to achieving the goal of equality.
