‘Human Rights Protection Collective Responsibility’

As the world commemo
rates World Social Justice Day, a legal practitioner in Abuja, Ms Mary Akpa, says safeguarding human rights is a collective responsibility of all.
Akpa made this known in an interview with newsmen  in Abuja last Friday.
She said the onus was on everyone to ensure that citizens who were unaware of their basic human rights knew them.
Our correspondent reports that the World Day of Social Justice is a day set aside to recognise the need to promote efforts aimed at tackling issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment.
The United Nations General Assembly set aside February 20 as a day to pursue social development and justice by removing barriers of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
The legal practitioner decried the continuous impoverishment of some people in the midst of plenty.
According to her, they continue to live in poverty because they do not know their basic human rights and how to demand that their rights to basic needs be respected.
“When we talk of human rights violations, it is contextual; by contextual, I mean it depends on where you are viewing it from.
“For instance, when you talk of people who are impoverished today amidst plenty in the land, you can say that they are being denied their basic needs as human beings,’’ she explained.
She noted that although reasonable efforts had been made to guarantee the basic rights of citizens, there was still a lot of work to be done, particularly in the rural areas.
On alleged human rights abuses in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camps, Akpa appealed to civil society organisations to collaborate with relevant authorities to verify and end such abuses.
She, however, noted that it was also the duty of the person being abused to speak up, adding that it was the only way to draw attention and get help.
“Investigations could take many years and there are a lot of civil society organisations helping out.
“And with particular reference to the IDPs, I think they need to speak out because a lot of people visit them daily and someone might just hear their story and take action.
“We also have a duty to constantly visit and befriend them and ask those questions that could make them open up on issues bothering them and their challenges in the camps.
The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, in a message to commemorate the day, said: ‘’World Day for Social Justice comes at a pivotal moment for people and our planet.
“Around the world, there is a rising call to secure a life of dignity for all with equal rights and respect for the diverse voices of the world’s peoples.
“At the core of this movement lies the need for social justice.
“This year’s commemoration focuses on the scourge of human trafficking and the plight of approximately 21 million women, men and children in various forms of modern slavery,’’ Ban said.
He said new instruments such as the ILO Protocol and recommendation on forced labour and human trafficking were helping to strengthen global efforts to punish perpetrators and end impunity.
“We must continue to do more. We simply cannot achieve development for all if we leave behind those who are socially and economically exploited,’’ the UN scribe noted.
The theme of this year’s celebration is: “Ending Poverty, Human Trafficking and Forced Labour’’.