How can we celebrate Human Rights Day without the knowledge of our rights?

We celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10. On this occasion, I shared with you my experiences and feeling about Human Rights.

I do not understand much about human rights.  I have been living under dictatorship for my whole life. I am from Myanmar. People are fighting for human rights globally, but we, the people of Myanmar fighting for survival.

Soldiers killed the young protesters.

"On December 5, a car accelerated and rammed into the protesters. Four or five were thrown into the air," said a member of the protest group that organized the demonstration.

Where is the freedom of opinion and expression? We do not have full rights to live because soldiers can kill us anytime for any reason.

We say, "we have the right to eat, but why…."

Around the world, more than enough food is produced to feed the global population—but as many as 811 million people still go hungry. After steadily declining for a decade, world hunger is rising, affecting 9.9 percent of people globally. 

In Myanmar, since the military coup on February 1, 2021, the prices of essential commodities like food and fuel have doubled. Many people do not have enough food to eat for survival. 

We say even animals have rights.  But there is human trafficking - a modern form of slavery. It is an extreme form of labor exploitation where women, men and children are recruited or obtained and forced to labor against their will through force, fraud, or coercion. Victims are often lured by false promises of decent jobs and better lives.

Are we treating each other as humans? There are migrants, refugees, homeless, uneducated. All the poor countries are suffering from this kind of exploitation.

Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination - regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or another status.

Imagine even the fundamental rights of a human being such as living, eating, education, freedom of expression, work, be treated as humans all are missing in Myanmar.

This year 2021, Human Rights Day theme is "EQUALITY."

The theme is beautiful and suitable for those shouting human rights sitting on the sofa and working inside the air-conditioned room.

If you have rights,  share it that others may have the same right. Can you do that? Is it possible? So many human rights are done on paper only, not done in the right place.

If I say, "Why is there so much injustice today?" You may have reasons. We do not want reasons, but we like how we can solve this injustice among us.

I understand that justice is treating others as they deserve, giving what they deserve according to their occupation, time and place.

Rights are also the same. I see someone should be receiving some things at the right time, the right moment and right place as they deserve.

How can we celebrate Human Rights Day without the knowledge of our rights?

Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10 — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth, or another status.

This year's Human Rights Day theme relates to 'Equality' and Article 1 of the UDHR – "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."

The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. Equality is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and with the UN approach set out in the document Shared Framework on Leaving No One Behind: Equality and Non-Discrimination at the Heart of Sustainable Development.

This includes addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies, including women and girls, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, LGBTI people, migrants, and people with disabilities.

Equality, inclusion and non-discrimination, in other words - a human rights-based approach to development - is the best way to reduce inequalities and resume our path towards realizing the 2030 Agenda.