Human rights are defined as the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. On December 10th 1948, the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” which identifies various rights, such as the right to life, liberty and security, freedom from slavery and servitude, freedom from torture or inhuman treatment or punishment, equality before the law, freedom of movement and many more rights many of us currently take for granted.
Today, on the 21st of March, we celebrate human rights day globally. And while those of us in South Africa are lucky to get a much-needed holiday, it is also important to understand what today is all about, and what we are commemorating.
Alistair Boddy- Evans, who wrote about the significance of South Africa’s holidays and history, noted that South Africans honor the 21st every year to remember those who died on this day in 1960 due to police brutality. During peaceful protests, many activists present in Johannesburg were shot in the back, now referred to as the Sharpeville Massacre. As a result of the shootings, the government banned black political organizations altogether. Reports state that after the Sharpeville massacre, protests and marches sprang up all around the country as the people of South Africa tried to make sense of where their country was heading.
On March 30th, 1960, the government detained over 18,000 people, including prominent anti-apartheid activists, and declared a state of emergency. After the massacre, South Africa became more and more isolated from the rest of the world and in 1961, left the Commonwealth, a decision directly influenced by the Sharpeville Massacre. It was also the massacre that led to the banning of both the African National Congress and the Pan Africanist Congress. Despite the ban, both organizations intensified their struggle for equal rights.
In order to call attention to many human rights violations occurring globally, human rights day was in part created to ensure that the people of South Africa remain aware of their human rights and to ensure that such abuse never occurs again.
So, as you enjoy the importance of this day, (and, if you are in South Africa, the beautiful weather), give due respect by remembering those who shaped the country into what it is today.
