Why Human Rights Need YOU: An Urgent Call to Action as Every Voice Matters!
- Aleesha Abid
- Dec 10, 2025
- 4 min read
Human Rights are the fundamental standards that acknowledge an individual's right to live with all achievable conditions of a good standard of life. No authority can give or devoid you these basic rights. These rights are not given or granted but bestowed by birth.
Recognizing the importance of these rights are crucial because human rights are the foundation of human civilizations. They determine how we should interact with and address other human beings, serving as an ethical standard for our global community.
For centuries, numerous cultures formalized fundamental ideas called with alternative titles such as "natural rights" or "rights of man" (the French Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen, 1789). However, a cohesive vision did not develop until after an awful world struggle. World War II. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was introduced in 1948, and the world publicly adopted a global notion of human rights. This important declaration, established by the United Nations, provides a shared standard of success for all peoples and states, with 30 articles outlining every human being's basic rights. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is extensive, we may reduce its core into important ideas that require our attention and defense nowadays:
Right to Equality and Dignity
Freedom from Discrimination
Right to Life, Liberty, and Security
Freedom from Slavery and Servitude
Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment
Right to Recognition as a Person Before the Law
Right to Equality Before the Law
Right to an Effective Judicial Remedy
Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Detention
Right to a Fair and Public Trial
Right to adopt adequate standard of living
Although the UDHR depicts a just society, the reality we live in today is sometimes significantly worse. Every day, people violate the first provision of UDHR Article 2:
"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."
According to the UN: ⅙ (one in six) people worldwide has experienced discrimination in some form - with women and people with disabilities disproportionately affected [1]. The fundamental idea of human dignity is undermined by this widespread inequity.
Gender, Justice Access, and Violence
Gender-based violence continues to be a major worldwide issue, particularly in marginalized areas. Rural women are the most frequent victims of domestic abuse. However, very few of them seek assistance, as they lack guidance and awareness. For instance, in a study of women in Peru, only less than 5% of all rural domestic violence survivors (60% of rural women surveyed) sought assistance. This is much lower than the roughly 16% of urban women who requested help in case of any violence (out of 49% of urban women surveyed). These figures highlight a pervasive lack of access to safe reporting procedures, support services, and justice.
The Cruelty of Conflict: Education and Children
The most vulnerable people's rights are often violated in war regions. A startling 97% of Gaza's schools have been directly impacted by the Israel-Palestine conflict, severely undermining the basic Human Right to education.
The violation of the right to live is even more tragic: Save the Children estimates that: 20,000 children have perished in this conflict. These numbers are more than simply numbers; they represent an urgent need for international assistance and involvement.
Attacks on Journalists: Suppressing the Truth
The public's right to know and the freedom of expression are always in danger. 67 journalists lost their lives as a result of their job within a single reporting period (1/12/24-1/12/25). At least 79% of these were victims of targeted violence by criminal networks (16 journalists) and armed forces or paramilitary organizations (37 journalists).
Silencing journalists is a direct attack on democratic values and the right/freedom of expression, because it suppresses the truth and undermines accountability.
SHALL WE ACT?
YES
NO
Raise Your Voice
These shocking facts are intended to inspire you rather than demoralize you. Dedicated action is required due to the magnitude of Human Rights infringements.
As a volunteer with S.O.P.I., you are on the front lines, converting the abstract principles of the UDHR into tangible, transformative assistance. The battle for Human Rights is the fight for a more civilized, respectful and fair future. We implore all SOPI volunteers to acknowledge the enormous impact of their work and pledge, more than ever, to protect these unalienable rights for all people, everywhere.
"Human Rights are for everyone, everywhere around the world. It's the bare minimum! We should make those words written in the UDHR come to life. Only together we could do that. And to do that, not only governments and organizations must act. We should preserve and respect those rights in our everyday life." - Thanos Sialgkanidis, Executive Director of SOPI
References:
What are human rights? | UNICEF https://share.google/pp92uRkvhkr15hshy
Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Wikipedia https://share.google/5EhxmS3N1KvRde8p1 (Use Wikipedia to outline the points of UDHR)
SDG Indicators https://share.google/nCErtA2GsbRBjXq4B (Every one in six experience discrimination…)
Facts & Figures | UN Women – Headquarters ( Peru Study related to gender based Violence on women) https://share.google/urT4MRvBjax8dfazf
GAZA: 20,000 CHILDREN KILLED IN 23 MONTHS OF WAR – MORE THAN ONE CHILD KILLED EVERY HOUR | Save the Children International https://share.google/6U30zvzcimvR1O7NK
2025, a deadly year for journalists: this is where hate and impunity lead | RSF (Attack on Journalists) https://share.google/VTkMYA44onGiMyQ45
Picture sites:
United Nations Photo – Universal Declaration of Human Rights _ Eleanor Roosevelt, and 75th anniversary of UDHR in UN General Assembly https://share.google/kGntwPQCMK3nzqrlA
https://borgenproject.org/womens-poverty-in-peru/ (women in Peru)
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