Written by: Nervana Ashraf
Design by: Ahmed Yahia
“The baby has rights that should be protected by the law even before he/she is born”. This was the first sentence that I saw in a forensic textbook discussing illegal abortion and how doctors should manage it. It made me wonder when human rights start. Is it related to the time of fertilization? Or do they begin as soon as the mother knows she is pregnant? Or did it start by the universal declaration of human rights?
Simply, I found out that Human rights existed even before that. Human rights first started at the moment when first human was on earth. Definitely, not because of the universal declaration of human rights that was only accepted by the United Nations in 1984. This never means that human had no rights before that date. It simply means that the universal declaration only made human rights official and accepted by 48 countries.
Human rights shape the way for us to protect ourselves against anything that would violate our lives. With rights we know what we have privilege to without going out of our way to get it. We have many rights such as: living, health, education, freedom of speech and so many more rights that if we took the advantage of, we would have a calm and a peaceful life.
As Malala Yousafzai once said ““Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” You can change the world, just start and let human rights lead you. Be the change you hope to see in the world. Don’t stand handicapped waiting for the world to change without taking an action.
So, know your rights and know your privileges. Don’t let them be taken away that easy or even ignore that you have rights. However, don’t forget that you also have duties to your community, your country and the world. You have the duty to respect others’ rights and lives and yours as well.
Be the leader of your own actions and guide yourself towards better life for you and the world.
References:
Universal deceleration of human rights
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights
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