UN International Human Rights day

UN Human Rights Day

Today is marked as Human Rights Day, to commemorate the first time the UN set out the fundamental human rights for all peoples. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed on 10 December 1948 by the UN General Assembly in Paris.

Historically, women are often victims of human right abuses. Women’s rights are trampled upon when they are:
◽ physically and sexually abused (Art. 5),
◽denied fair hearing and justice (Art.7,10),
◽ denied asylum from persecution (Art. 14),
◽ forced to marry especially at a tender age (Art. 16),
◽prevented from owning land and property Art. 17),
◽denied political participation and fair representation (Art. 21),
◽faced with discrimination in employment (Art. 23),
◽ denied access to health care and
◽ prevented from going to school (Art. 26).

States usually failed to accord them these Birthrights, hence, the creation and adoption of various international and regional instruments targeted at protecting women’s rights. These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1971) and the Beijing Declaration of Action (1995).

However, violence against women still persists. According to a recent report by UN Women, women and girls account for 72 percent of humans trafficking victims. Female Genital Mutilation is still prevalent in 31 countries,where at least 200 million women and girls, aged 15-49 have been cut. Globally, 15 million adolescent girls have been sexually abused. In 2019, one in three women, aged 20-24 years were married before the age of 18 in Sub-Saharan Africa. And across five regions, 82 percent of women parliamentarians reported having experienced some form of psychological violence while in office.

Conflicts and situations of instability also increases the risk of abuse. Women and girls are primarily victims of sexual and gender based violence thus widening the gap of pre-existing discrimination.Internally displaced and disabled women remain the most vulnerable groups and the least inclusive.The ongoing Covid -19 pandemic was one proof of how disproportionately women suffer from the effects of global crisis.

While significant progress has been made recently, notably, the integration of prevention and response to violence against women and girls into Covid-19 response plans by 48 countries in September, a lot still has to be done.

The UN and it’s relevant institutions should strengthen it’s framework of cooperation among member states, local and international human rights organizations, to enhance the protection of women and girls. It should also set up an effective reporting and monitoring system to ensure compliance of member states to the universal proclaimation.

References
1. un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf
2.opentextbc.ca/womenintheworld/chapter/chapter-9-human-rights-of-women/
3.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
4.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/PeaceAndSecurity.aspx

Author, Ejiro Mercy Lucky