The Need To Promote Human Rights

Human rights for everyone is a necessary foundation upon which all of us may build a world where everybody may live in peace and serenity and plenty.” This quotation of Michael Douglas, a humanitarian, sums up the need to promote human rights. Human rights are entitlements, freedoms and benefits that are inherent and inalienable to every person and all must respect them. Like coryphées dancing at full endeavor to consistence and to end superbly, the citizens of every region strive to give their selves and family a life of stability and success. Without these rights, it would not be feasible. Hence, human rights are indispensable for establishing a region with peace granted to every citizen in it. With the coryphées behind shut drapes, they are granted no lights to see and no rhythm to hear. Stripped with necessity, they cannot dance nor prance; the same goes to people. In the deprivation of human rights, they would not be able to engage and contribute to the development of a nation. Consequently, natural and legal rights such as right to live, right to education, freedom of speech, suffrage, et cetera, must always be bestowed upon individuals. Moreover, it is more probable for the youth to thrive as good citizens if they were endowed with human rights, since they could grow equipped with education and moral values, unlike if they were denied with these rights. The citizens could also be an active part of the progress of diverse regional fields for they would have freedom to participate in the growth and labor may it be on economics, politics, or societal unity. Human rights, in its entirety, is truly a source of progress and stability of the nation. In terms of how human rights can efficaciously be applied, it is basically essential to start on the fundamental. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Instead of forcing others not to violate human rights, a man must commence on gazing at himself in the mirror. Change must begin from an individual, and thus human rights must first be applied by him who yearns other people to honor and not to contravene his human rights. The reverence for human rights and the halt for their 3breaches must always commence on a man who aspires for these, regardless if he is the president, a prominent person, a teacher, a student or even an innocent youth. After being rooted by an individual, respect for human rights and human rights, itself, would gradually transpire to families, to the communities and to the regions.

The absence of both radiance and melody, left the coryphées stationary and heedless on what to do. Regrettably, another impediment transpires as they realize the fact that they are not actual coryphées but marionettes ruled by strings. They are merely marionettes with strings knotted on their limbs, head and body. It distresses them when they descry the strings that control them and their tightening hurt them physically. Their once euphoric tutus are now dampened by melancholy as they tear on this occurrence.

Human rights are not solely for development, in fact, it can also be an instrument of peace and justice on a region. In the influx of indubitable brutality and crimes, governmental security cannot assure the citizens with full order and safety. Consequently, human rights are granted to avoid and safeguard people from such violence. Republic Act 9262 and Republic Act No. 10361 are some of the law instituted in the Philippines to protect the welfare and to honor the human rights of the citizens. Specifically, the former declares an anti-violence act for both women and children who are mostly abused and whom human rights are continually infringed; the latter is for domestic workers who possess the similar case but to be protected outside the nation. Human rights grant citizens as well with the ability to embrace justice against myriad forms of inhuman acts; for instance, discrimination, enslavement and genocide. Promotion of peace and justice is another reason why these rights must be inherent and in existence.4Advocacy of human rights must not end on pure talks for there should be actions. Philippines, as a whole, have good laws already to ensure the application of human rights. Only subsidiary revisions are in fact entailed and the dilemma is not chiefly on the laws but on the weak implementation. Oppression usually transpires on barangays, specifically when citizens raise complaints and were not given attention nor response by barangay officials. This mostly occurs when the accused people were influential or of a higher status than the complainant and primarily when the latter is impecunious and cannot provide bribe for the officials. This scenario is an evident infringement of human rights in terms of justice and peace. Better implementation of the law is the solution for this. For instance, Article XIII on the Philippine 1987 Constitution guarantees the citizens with social justice and human rights, yet if there would be weak implementation, still, the citizens would not be granted with fair and just treatment even with the presence of the law. Moreover, higher government officials should regularly inspect the lower sectors to assure that the people are properly bestowed with human rights and are not oppressed.

The citizens could also promote human rights by partaking in community projects and campaigns regarding this matter. The new United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals could easily be applied by citizens. Since almost all of these goals advocate attainment of respect for human rights such as quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities and suchlike, by participating on their accomplishment, the citizens not only become globally-competitive yet also, promote human rights. They could also engage in non-governmental organizations like in the Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocate to have the capacity in doing more actions. Additionally, seminars must be regularly held to educate citizens who are uninformed in terms of human rights so that they could avoid contravening them and would be knowledgeable for future instances. Certainly, regardless of power and status, anyone is a subject for promoting human rights.

Not anymore just puling, the marionettes are in despondency of ceasing to dance with the worsening state. There is no more will for them to continue and they glimpse the flicker of dusk, inducing them to collapse. While losing balance, an image made them resist to tumble and discern what they must do—endeavor to pirouette once more despite the nonexistence of melody, dearth of light and even the challenge of being marionettes. Human rights cannot simply be separated from humans. A man would only be a nonliving existing body and could only be said to possess life if he has human rights. This life is divine, in which God bestowed to everyone; a life that can be withdrawn anytime, yet never can be returned nor replaced. This is truly a gift to people enabling them to experience nature and to behold the grandeur of earth. Living is one-time opportunity, granted once, to feel feelings, to socialize in society, to love and to be loved. Hence, the presence of human rights ensures the gift of life will not be squandered. Moreover, raising biblical and faith-based rationalizations is not necessary since science as well elucidates how complex and difficult achieving life in the form of zygote can be. As for millions of sperm cells will race and in most cases, only one will reach the egg and commence life. Truly, as hard it is to acquire life is as hard to foster life, thus, human rights must be there.

Youth, as a whole, is another key in the promotion of human rights; they are the youth’s voice, courage and aspiration. Human rights allow the youth to speak up their insights on societal issues, accord courage for them to do action, and hold the aspiration of the youth for tomorrow. Since considerable connection is occurring between the youth and human rights, the youth must maintain this bond until they become adults. While 6youth are currently youth, elder citizens have the task to keep alive their eager embrace on human rights. In achieving this, youth will be competent to preserve human rights from generation to generation. They may teach its importance to their future children and implant the moral values it provides to other citizens heart. Having the youth embrace human rights promotes the inheritance of the knowledge on its importance. Pragmatically, this would be done with more endeavors to educate the youth on human rights. Their innocent minds hinder them to be knowledgeable on these rights, hence, there should also be programs for the youth. Human rights could be taught as an elective subject for students to perceive from its basic lessons to its complex applications. With right awareness, youth can participate in its promotion through utilizing their knowledge on technology. They could inform more citizens on human rights by the diverse social media sites like posting info-graphics on Facebook about its importance, tweeting on Twitter how to apply it and producing videos in YouTube. Through these, the youth become instruments in advocating human rights both for the future and for now.

Glancing shadows alone behind the shut drapes, the spectators fathom the true meaning of everything previously displayed on the platform. The light and melody, both entailed for an outstanding performance, are the actual necessary rights to live; the strings knotted on the marionettes are the physical and psychological abuse that hinder a life to flourish; and the marionettes, who are stringed and denied with light and melody, are the citizens whose human rights are deprived, who have life but not at all sense the reason to extol for it. They are the ones controlled by injustice and lack of peace.

Indeed, the citizens are performers striving to pirouette on the platform of life, yet they would become marionettes without human rights. There is no debate after all for 7whether or not these rights must be in existence. They are the basic necessity on establishing a region of stability and peace; it is for human rights preserve natural rights among citizens and aid on the development of a nation toward stability, they avert human abuse and promote freedom for the peace and justice, and they preserve the gift of life through advocating reverence on every citizen. Likewise, the citizens may contribute on the advocacy through commencing the application of human rights on their selves first, respecting and not contravening the laws regarding rights, participation on community-based projects and organizations, and by instilling and educating the youth on the importance of human rights for them to preserve the latter for next generations. As for the future, it would be a triumph if the citizens of the present will embrace and properly advocate human rights. The impact would not only be in the region but throughout the nation in which stability and peace would truly be achieved. Law infringements will lessen, the Philippines will progress and Filipinos will flourish.

Despite the blatant need for human rights, arguments are still raised to confute their presence like: human rights could not protect in all circumstances, the application may be biased and it hinders the government in leading. However, these notions failed to analyze how human rights do not actually produce these dilemmas but the institutions and officials responsible for the application. Hence, the solution for the first two arguments are just better implementations and regular inspections of government officials, as stated earlier. Likewise, human rights do not basically hinder a government to lead, but rather they act as safeguard borderlines for the leader to avoid decisions that could violate the rights of the people, which is the real case why they seem to be restrictions, yet in reality 8are there for the good. At the very end of the day, challenging human rights’ effectiveness by mind is not enough for there should be a heart to comprehend its significance.