HRC urges people to stand up for each other’s rights

| 09/12/2016 | 11 Comments

(CNS): The Human Rights Commission is urging the community to support international Human Rights Day on Saturday by standing up for the rights of others. Emphasising the importance of promoting, protecting and preserving human rights here in Cayman, the HRC noted concerns this year that hard won rights are under attack across the world.

“Stand Up for Someone’s Rights Today”, which is this year’s theme marking the global celebration, encourages people to stand up for others who are under threat because upholding another person’s rights is just as important as upholding our own.

The United Nations IHRD has said that people “are fearful about the way the world is heading”, as they pointed to the continuing disrespect for basic human rights around the world.

“Extremist movements subject people to horrific violence,” the UN stated. “Messages of intolerance and hatred prey on our fears. Humane values are under attack. We must reaffirm our common humanity. Wherever we are, we can make a real difference. In the street, in school, at work, in public transport; in the voting booth, on social media.”

The community is urged to combat myths with facts in online and daily conversations, challenging harmful stereotypes as a way to promote and protect human rights. Rather than encouraging division, the UN suggests people promote stories on their social media pages about people locally that have stood up for rights.

The UN also recommends that leaders from religious, sporting or cultural communities make public commitments to human rights — a pertinent point for Cayman, where the rights of the LGBT community have been under attack this year from some quarters of the church community and many people still object to the Bill of Rights in the local constitution.

The UN urges people to donate if they can to organisations that support victims of human rights abuses, and where possible, when they see someone being harassed, bullied or ridiculed on the street, on public transportation, while shopping or at school, to stand with them.

For more suggestions on how you can stand up for someone’s rights, visit the UN website.

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Comments (11)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Human rights! Are you joking. How am I to stand up for human rights in a country that does not value my opinion or indeed the fact of being held accountable.

  2. Bob says:

    Get up, stand up.

  3. well says:

    Well they represented them two gay foreigners pretty well. Not so much the hundreds of gay Caymanians though

  4. Anonymous says:

    LOL, the HRC is a complete waste of space.Their website and email was down for most of this year and when I was eventually able to file a complaint with them it was rejected because the person who reviewed it (no names but you can probably guess who it was) doesn’t understand how ECHR works.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Any comment from the HRC on the proposed new licence plates? Surely giving the police the power to track every vehicle on the island without the need for a warrant is an invasion of our right to privacy?

    • Anonymous says:

      A necessary yet regrettable requirement given the total failure of our authorities to enforce any aspect of our laws.

    • Anonymous says:

      3:07 What are you scared of?

      Read ECHR Article 8 – There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

      This clearly comes under the exemptions. In fact since ANPR was introduced it’s been done in the UK for the last two decades without anyone successfully challenging it.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Won’t work. Masses are too stupid to know what is fact anymore.

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