What is Human Rights Day and why is it important? 

March 21 is the day on which we remember and sing praises to those who perished in the name of democracy and human dignity.

  • Nelson Mandela (1996)

Here in South Africa, we celebrate Human Rights Day every year on the 21st of March. This day marks the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, a protest gone tragically wrong in 1960. Here, 69 unarmed protesters were killed and many more injured – including youth. The 21st of March is a South African public holiday to both celebrate how far we have come as a country, but also as a sober reminder of the human rights violations that are still occuring in this country and the world at large. 

Human rights are a relatively recent concept based on the core belief that all humans possess inherent worth, solely by being human. Some examples of human rights include dignity of life, equality for all, tolerance, and freedom. Human rights also carry the responsibility of ensuring the protection and preservation of our personal rights and those of others. Human Rights Day is where the joy of progress, the pain of the past and the realities of the present all meet; thus it is important to celebrate, pay tribute, care for the present and dream for a better future.

Celebrate:

Today, as we mark Human Rights Day, we pay tribute to those men and women who had the foresight to proclaim that all people in this country have 

inalienable human rights. 

– Cyril Rhamaphosa (2023) 

Human Rights Day is important as it helps us to celebrate as a country just what has been accomplished and how it has come. The ‘Bill of Rights’ describes the rights and responsibilities for all the people in South Africa; irrespective of race, gender or ability. The Bill of Rights should be celebrated when compared to Apartheid where human rights violations were seen as ‘legal’. These rights are a direct response to the human rights violations of the Apartheid era and serve as a safeguard for the future of South Africa. The South African Bill of Rights is widely regarded as one of the most progressive in the world and is a legally binding document that is not easily amended. Therefore, all South Africans can seek protection through the judicial system.

Remember: 

‘Freedom was not free’ 

– Thabo Mbeki (2008) 

Human Rights Day is important in that it reminds the South African nation to remember those who spent their lives (and often gave them too) fighting for the human rights that every South African enjoys today. The cost of gaining human rights for all South Africans was high and it is only right to respect those who paid that price. Human Rights Day is an opportunity for South Africans to honour those who paid the price for the freedoms that everyone now enjoys. Sharpeville was a tragedy that opened the eyes of the world and South Africans to the abuses of the Apartheid government, but this event was only one of many protests and injustices endured by South Africans during Apartheid. 

See the present clearly:

Every individual in every sector of society has the responsibility to remain a caring South African, never indifferent to the affairs and well-being of our country and its people.

  • Nelson Mandela (2004)

Anybody who reads the news or interacts with others in their life knows that the battle for human rights has not ended. Injustice, discrimination, unfairness, violence and neglect are just some of the ways in which people experience life today in South Africa and the world. Here, Human Rights Day is a sombre reminder that although human rights are equal on ‘paper’ the everyday reality is far different. 

Human Rights Day is also a reminder of the various avenues that we can go through to stand up and speak up for our, or another’s, rights. It is also a reminder to not violate others’ rights – both intentionally or unintentionally and to use our resources (ie ‘vote with our wallet’) to support organisations and people who are actively working to support human rights and to avoid those that are doing the opposite. 

Dream: 

As freedom loving people, we want to see our country prosper and provide basic services to all. For our freedom can never be complete or our democracy stable unless the basic needs of our people are met.   

  • Nelson Mandela (1999)

As we remember the past, celebrate the present and participate in fighting for human rights today we can also take a moment to look to the future. Human Rights Day gives us a moment, a chance, to dream. In seeing how far South Africa has come, does it not inspire us to look to the future and question how we could become part of the solution? What will it look like when we celebrate Human Rights Day decades from now? Will we be part of the story of continuing reconciliation and increasing human rights? How will we be remembered? Did we stand up and speak out for human rights when confronted with violations? Did we buckle down and live our everyday lives excellently – doing our jobs with excellence and integrity and treating everyone we meet with dignity? 

Therefore, it’s important to remember Human Rights Day for three reasons, firstly to remember how far South Africa has come and pay tribute those who affected by human rights violations throughout Apartheid, secondly to celebrate the human rights that our country now enjoys and finally a sober reminder that there are many today that continue to have their human rights violated and although South Africa has come a long way – there is still a way to go. 

So, as we celebrate this day as South Africans, as part of this story, Human Rights Day asks us to reflect on how we are going to live our lives in response? Are we going to stand up or speak up when we are faced with human rights violations? Will we go about our everyday lives with integrity and compassion for those around us? So that, decades from now – South Africans will have even more to celebrate on this day.

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