On Saturday, Uganda joined the international community to commemorate Human Rights day (HRD) which falls on every 10th of December.
It is the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Subsequently, the assembly passed resolution 423 (V), in 1950, inviting all states and interested organizations to observe 10th December of each year as Human Rights day.
The day has since stood as the first major stride forward in the endeavour to ensure that the rights of every human on the globe are protected, regardless of who they are, where they live, how they live or what they believe. The UDHR further noted that we are each individually deserving of the most basic fundamentals of human needs, from the most basic human needs such as food, shelter, and water to ultimately the right to life, among others.
Every year, HRD provides a platform for the evaluation of what has been achieved in relation to what remains to be done so as to ensure that the UDHR ideals are pursued, and that the basic human rights of every person are prioritized globally. This year, HRD was observed under the theme ‘Stand up for someone’s rights today.’
It is a call to everyone to stand up for someone’s rights as disrespect for basic human rights continues to be widespread in all parts of the globe. Extremist movements on the other hand subject people to horrific violence with messages of intolerance and hatred which all put the humane values under attack, and just like every year, world leaders once again put across global messages as a call for the reaffirmation of the world’s common humanity.
In the UN statement of the HRD, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the recommitment to guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms and protecting the human rights of all, while the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein urged every person to step up for human rights.
“There is no action that is too small: wherever you are, you can make a difference. Together, let’s take a stand for more humanity,” said Hussein in the statement.
In Uganda, HRD was spearheaded by several human rights players who organised numerous events, including the sixteen days of activism as a gear-up towards the 10th of December and public lectures to sensitize masses about their rights by the Uganda Law Society, among other stakeholders.
UGANDA COMES OUT SHABBILY
Despite the impressive steps that the country had made toward the observation of the UDHR ideals, human rights defenders have sadly noted that the country has relapsed in as far as the honouring and observing of human rights are concerned. The recent Kasese killings, where over fifty lives were lost, is a classical case in point as noted by Edrine Wanyama, a lawyer and human rights analyst.
“This goes to show how the right to life has lost its respect. We as the civil society condemn the loss of lives on both sides that were involved in the clashes.
There should have been more consultations between the government and the Rwenzururu people instead of the invasion,” said Wanyama, adding that the clashes evoked the traumatic memories of former president Milton Obote’s attack on the Buganda kingdom palace in which many lives were also lost.
Such incidents, according to Wanyama, do nothing but take the country several years back to a point from which it had already elevated itself. Today, as Wanyama noted, Uganda is marred by absolute disrespect for human rights as there are rampant cases of torture and degrading treatment of people. The high rates of corruption and poor service delivery have deprived people of their rights.
And land, which is the major factor of production, still remains a serious issue with no stringent protection measures for land ownership which is now characterised by land grabbing, regardless of who holds the land title.
He further noted that the freedom to demonstrate has also been greatly sabotaged by the Public Order Management Act which leaves the people’s freedom to demonstrate in the hands of the police. This, more often than not, has denied citizens their right to demonstrate against what they consider to be unfair in pursuit of their rights.
In the same breath, the police which is charged with ensuring law and order has on many occasions been involved in violating people’s rights rather than protecting them. This is vividly shown through their brutal and degrading arrests that are characterised by dragging, beating and detaining suspects beyond the prescribed time, which is a typical abuse of their human rights.
WOMEN SHORTCHANGED
Worth noting is the recently-concluded election period that was blemished with social injustices and abuse of human rights, with the grandest abuse being the temporary shutdown of social media and mobile money platforms.
“Citizens were denied the right to express themselves and to share both information and money on election day, which goes to show how far the disrespect for human rights has gone in this country,” notes Wanyama.
The freedom of speech and expression was also sabotaged earlier in 2012 when a number of media houses were shut down, denying citizens their right to information, contrary to the Right to Information Act of 2005.
Apart from media shutdowns, the government has in more ways than one denied its citizens their right to information, making it hard for them to access vital information by availing it in limited languages and spheres, which excludes many of the citizens.
“Without information, people remain unaware of what they are entitled to or what to demand,” notes Wanyama, who urges government to provide information in various languages through different media platforms to ensure that nobody is left behind.
With the right information, people will be in a better position to uphold human rights while on the other hand, they can also demand for their rights.
“Very few people have made use of the Right to Information Act, while many remain ignorant about it,” says Wanyama, adding that it is important for people to harness their right to information so as to know what to demand from the government.
It is against this background that Wanyama urges the government to provide information to its citizens as stipulated in the Right to Information Act 2005.
It is no surprise that women suffer more from human rights abuse as compared to their male counterparts in Uganda. This is largely because this is a patriarchal society where women are not as privileged as men, especially when it comes to issues of land ownership, inheritance and employment, among others.
However, Wanyama maintains that human rights are for everyone and, as such, both men and women should be treated equally as we are all born equal.
He discouraged the public from considering women as the weaker sex or denying them some of their rights simply because they are women.
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