Today, on International Women’s Day, we remember that the only way to enjoy human rights, is to ensure the complete protection of women’s rights.
Human rights are universal. They were created to protect everyone – men, women and children, giving them equal dignity, equal justice and equal opportunity without discrimination.
In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt on the 10th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
‘Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places close to home – so close that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world…Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world’.
Discrimination and violence against women mean that human rights still have little meaning for women, as it is in their home, their workplace, and their communities where women still experience inequality. If women are not protected in these spaces, women’s rights cannot be upheld globally. The consideration of women is absent in contexts, including employment, health and education. And the right of women and girls to enjoy a life that protects their human rights is true in times of peace and of war, starting in places close to home.
As we continue to make the case for human rights principles, we will continue to work to ensure that when human rights are realised, they include women. Women who are able to walk down the street, live safely in their home and community, women who are treated with respect and who enjoy equal opportunities.
We will continue to work to ensure that true realisation of human rights, can only be achieved when women’s rights are realised.
#InternationalWomensDay2024
#WomensRightsAreHumanRights
