People’s physical integrity and their private and political civil liberties are generally better protected today than they were a century or two ago. But human rights remain under attack in many places. For example, a growing number of governments are restricting LGBT+ rights with new laws like Hungary’s in 2020, which redefined family as a mother and father (“father is a man, mother is a woman”) and made it illegal to show images of gay men and women in public. Credible sources also report ongoing war crimes and other serious human rights violations in Burma, the Taliban’s mistreatment of Afghanistan’s women, and the Chinese government’s policies in Xinjiang that amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and forced labor against the majority Muslim population.
Governments are responsible for protecting their citizens’ human rights, but they often fail to do so. This is why it’s important to support groups that promote human rights and call out governments when they violate people’s basic freedoms. Look for groups with clear goals and objectives, effective communication, transparent accountability systems, and a commitment to listening to their communities.
It’s important to remember that human rights are indivisible, interrelated and universal. For instance, the fulfilment of one right may depend on the fulfilment of other rights, such as the right to education or the right to work. This means that people’s rights are affected by all areas of their life: at home, in their workplace, when they travel or move around the world, and as refugees and stateless persons.
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