On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which establishes the unalienable rights of all human beings. It has been translated into over 500 languages and it holds the Guiness World Record of being the most translated document in the world. Each year, December 10 is celebrated as Human Rights Day and the theme for 2021 comes directly from Article 1 of the UDHR – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
The great champion of human rights, former president of South Africa and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Nelson Mandela once said: “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Teaching our children about human rights will broaden their understanding and appreciation of other persons and cultures and the rights that we all share. Various websites have information and resources for you to learn more and celebrate the day with your children and I have noted some below. Included in the resources are a simplified pdf version of the UDHR and an illustrated booklet. Each person is entitled to basic human rights and knowledge of those rights is key.
To learn more, please visit:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day
https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day/resources
https://www.standup4humanrights.org/en/take-action.html
https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day/know-your-rights