NOONG Disyembre 10 ay ginunita ang International Human Rights Day (IHRD).
Ito ay pag-alala sa pag-adopt ng United Nations General Assembly noong Disyembre 10, 1948 sa Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) na nagtakda ng pagkilala ng lahat ng mga pamahalaan at lipunan sa buong mundo sa mga karapatan ng bawat tao sa serbisyong panlipunan, kultura, relihiyon, edukasyon, paggawa, pagpapahayag ng damdamin, pulitika at iba pang aspeto ng pamumuhay.
Ayon kay Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, “Human rights are the supreme inherent and inalienable rights to life, to dignity, and to self-development, encompassing the areas of civil, political, economic, social and cultural aspects of each person’s existence.â€
Ito aniya ay nakadambana mismo sa Konstitusyon ng ating bansa partikular sa Section 11, Article II (the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights…) at sa Section 1, Article XIII (Congress shall give priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people…).
Pero sa kabila aniya nito ay laganap pa rin ang “human rights violation†sa bansa, at napakarami pa ring insidente ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao kung saan ang karaniwang biktima ay ang masa o maralita laluna yung mga nasa malalayo at maliliit na bayan at komunidad.
Dagdag niya, “Human rights violations in the country is largely attributed to the lack of operational systems and mechanisms to prevent such violations, and to the lack of knowledge and information among many people themselves, especially the masses, on the rights that they should be enjo-ying - and be fighting for, whenever the need arises for such.â€
Kaugnay nito ay isinusulong niya ang mga panukalang batas para sa ibayong proteksiyon at promosyon ng karapatang pantao, tulad ng: Establishment of Barangay Human Rights Action Centers; Human Rights Resource Center Act; Mandatory Teaching of Human Rights in all Public and Private Schools; at ang Internal Displacement Act (Prevention of Occurrence of, and Protection from, the Adverse Effects of Internal Displacement).