Human Rights 365: Marking Human Rights Day 2014

In 1950, the 10^th of December was declared Human Rights Day by the UN General Assembly.

Human Rights have come a long way globally considering in many parts of the world people never had any rights, and in many places citizens still don’t have them. Human Rights Day promotes awareness of human rights issues around the world and also highlights the efforts of the United Nations to improve global human rights conditions.

This year’s slogan is ‘Human Rights 365’ which aims to let people know that every day is Human Rights Day and everyone globally is always entitled to a full range of human rights.

In Nigeria, some of our fundamental human rights are;

• Right to life
• Right to dignity of human person
• Right to personal liberty
• Right to fair hearing
• Right to private and family life
• Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
• Right to freedom of expression and the press
• Right to peaceful assembly and association
• Right to freedom of movement
• Right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of ethnic group, place of origin, circumstance of birth, sex, religion or political opinion.
• Right to compensation for property compulsorily acquired

In countries where we are blessed to have our human rights recognised, let’s ensure we know and exercise them. By exercising yours, you may give someone who is afraid and in bondage the courage to exercise theirs.

To find out more about your human rights in Nigeria, you can visit NigeriaRights.gov.ng 

About the author: Elizabeth Ayoola is a vibrant writer and spoken word artist who enjoys discussing an array of topics ranging from personal development, to social issues. She manages a spoken word website www.oro.com.ng, as well as a blog about her experiences living in Nigeria at www.themelodiesofajjc.com. You can find her on Twitter @beepoetic.