The
NCHR celebrates Human Rights Day - 2008
1948 - 2008. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights commemorates its
60th anniversary on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2008.
|
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon |
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, which has
become the universal standard for defending and promoting Human Rights.
Every year on December 10, Human Rights Day is celebrated all over the world in
commemoration of the adoption of the Universal Declaration. On Human Rights Day
we celebrate around the globe that "All human beings are born with equal
and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms". Article 16, section 3 of
the UDHR reads: "The family is the natural and fundamental group
unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State."
Everyone is guaranteed protection by the law for the right not to be subjected
to arbitrary interference with one's privacy, family, home or correspondence,
or to attacks upon one's honour and reputation, Article 12 UDHR. These rights
are confirmed in the European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR, and fundamental
freedoms, (Article 8) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNCROC,
(Article 16).
"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this
Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.
"Furthermore,
no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or
international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs,
whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other
limitation of sovereignty," Article 2 UDHR.
December
10, 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
In Sweden, December 10 is not celebrated as Human Rights Day, but as The Nobel Prize Day.
Our countries, the governments of Sweden,
Denmark, Finland and Norway are always quick to condemn Human Rights violations
in other countries. While we deem it important and necessary to criticise
others, we are appalled that they ignore the serious Human Rights violations
that are taking place on a daily basis in our own countries. Our parliaments
and governments have passed laws that undermine The Family, the cornerstone of
society in favour of the institutions put in place by the welfare states - "in
the best interest of the child", they claim. By using the term "the
best interest of the child" they seem to comply with the pre-requisites of
Article 3 of UNCROC. However, the history of our Nordic welfare states show
that several tens of thousands of children have been taken into care and placed
in foster homes and institutions - on arbitrary grounds.
Christmas is fast approaching and Christmas time is Family time. Families,
whose children have been taken into compulsory care and placed in foster homes,
are very often subjected to rigid restrictions on their visiting rights. Often
the parents and relatives of the children in "care" are not allowed
to see the children at Christmas or to even deliver their presents in person on
Christmas Eve. The social services' staff require the parents and relatives of
the children in compulsory care to deliver the Christmas presents to them for
them to be handed over to the children - when it suits the foster homes.
Every year the NCHR/NKMR sends Christmas Appeals to the rulers of our
respective Nordic countries requesting them to release the children so that
they can spend Christmas with their near ones and their dear ones. So far, our
appeals have fallen on deaf ears, but once again we encourage parents and
grandparents and relatives to demand visiting rights with their children in compulsory
care.
Ruby Harrold-Claesson
Lawyer
President of the NCHR/NKMR
Human
Rights Day, 2008