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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Marina Santee.
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And I’m Steve Myersco. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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On December 10th 1948, leaders from around the world signed a historic agreement. It aimed to protect the freedom of all humans. This was the birth of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes all the rights that people should have. It aims to give everyone in the world the same rights and freedoms. The document was published by the United Nations.
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The United Nations was established in 1945. The terrible events of the Second World War were still in everyone’s minds. The United Nations aimed to stop such evil from happening again. Governments from around the world agreed this common statement:
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‘We the people of the United Nations aim... to re-establish faith in basic human rights and the worth of the human person. We also work for equal rights for men and women, and for nations large and small.’
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This was why they wanted to create the human rights declaration. The writers of the document included experts from all around the world.
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Hernán Santa Cruz was one member of the group. He was from Chile, in South America. Later, he described the day the declaration was presented to the world.
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‘I knew that I was a part of a truly important and historic event. We had reached an agreement on the great value of the human person... In the room where the document was presented ... there was an atmosphere of real togetherness. We were men and women from every part of the world. I have not seen anything like it in any international meeting since.’
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UDHR contains a list of thirty points called 'articles'. Each article describes a human right. They cover a lot of different issues: education, the law, expressing opinions, employment, religion, and many more. The UDHR is now the most translated document in the world. People can read it in over three hundred [300] languages. Here are just a few examples.
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Since 1948, the UDHR has become part of international law. But many people still live without the rights described in the document. People around the world are struggling to defend these rights.
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Kailash Satyarthi lives in India. He has worked hard to protect the rights of children. He has helped to rescue children from hard working jobs. He thinks education is very important for young people. But Kailash is not just concerned for Indian children. He has continued his work around the world. In 1999, he created the Global Campaign for Education. This encourages governments to provide free and quality education to its children. Mr Satyarthi said,
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‘Now people know that education is important in gaining their freedom. Education is key to their human rights. It is also key to helping them out of poverty. Education is a basic human right.’
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The right to education is stated in Article twenty-six [26] of the UDHR. It says,
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‘Everyone has the right to education. Basic education should be free. You should be able to train in a job or continue your studies as far as you wish. At school, you should be able to develop all your character and skills. You should also be taught to respect other people.’
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Another person defending the rights described in the Universal Declaration is Sonia Pierre. Sonia lives in a community of Haitian families in the Dominican Republic. She struggles against the way that some people are treated badly just because they are different. Sonia says that discrimination is a problem in the Dominican Republic. She says the Haitians there are among the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the country. She says,
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‘In my country, Dominican children from Haitian families suffer discrimination from the second they are born... The authorities refuse to issue birth documents to the children from Haitian families. The lack of this document... restricts the children’s right to education and health services.’
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Articles 1 and 2 say it is wrong for people to be treated badly because of their race, their sex, or any such reason.
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‘When children are born, they are free. Each person should be treated in the same way...'
... ‘It does not matter what sex they are. It does not matter about their skin colour, or the language they speak. It does not matter what they think or what their political opinions are. It does not matter what religion they believe in. It does not matter how much property they own. It does not matter what social group they are born into, or what country they come from.’
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The UDHR also states that people should be free to express themselves how they want to. Articles nineteen and twenty say,
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‘You have the right to think what you want, and to say what you like. Nobody should stop you from doing that... ’
'...You have the right to organise or attend peaceful meetings.'
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But governments refuse this right in many parts of the world. One such place is Zimbabwe. Otto Saki lives in this country. He works to defend the rights written in articles 19 and 20 of the UDHR. He has also supported people who have been forced out of their homes by the government. He says,
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‘What we are doing now will prove extremely important. Sooner or later we will be able to live in a country where we are free to express our opinions without fear. The only question is when this will be.’
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights unites all humans. We should all have the same rights and freedoms. This is what governments thought when they agreed on the Declaration sixty years ago. But the responsibility for protecting these rights also belongs to the citizens of the world. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says,
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‘You have duties towards your community...'
'No society and no human in any part of the world should try and destroy the rights that are described in this Declaration.’
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