Harry Targ
Youth are Taking the Lead
Young people are standing up for political,
economic, social, environmental, and cultural rights all across the globe.
Despite the naysayers on the right who claim that young people today are
troubled, lack resiliency, need to concentrate on job-seeking behavior or those
in the center who advocate for moderation, patience, and compromise with
opponents, young people are hitting the streets, organizing politicly, and
advocating for candidates for public office who seek fundamental and systemic
change. Often they are forced to flee their homelands because of state
violence, environmental disasters, brutal slaughter of loved ones, and ongoing
“hybrid wars” on governments that powerful nations oppose. In the face of
monumental crises, young people everywhere are standing up and declaring in
their own way that “Enough is Enough.”
Given these uprisings, the United Nations, on
this Human Rights Day, celebrates “…the potential of youth as agents of
constructive change.” The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) announced a campaign that “…is designed to encourage, galvanize, and
showcase how youth all over the world stand up for rights and against racism,
hate speech, bullying, discrimination and climate change” and other problems.
The OHCHR believes youth are essential to achieve sustainable development and
are central to positive social change.
Also, youth see social, economic, and
environmental problems in a global context. https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
The Founding
The massive atrocities of World War II led
nations to commit themselves permanently to the protection of basic rights for
all human beings. Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of the wartime President,
Franklin Roosevelt, worked diligently with leaders from around the world to
develop a document, to articulate a set of principles, which would bind
humankind to never carry out acts of mass murder again.
In addition, the document also committed nations to work to end most forms of pain and suffering.
Over 70 years ago, on December 10, 1948, delegates from the United Nations General Assembly signed the document which they called “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” It consisted of a preamble proclaiming that all signatories recognize "the inherent dignity" and "equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family" as the "foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world."
The preamble declared the commitment of the signatories to the creation of a world “in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want...”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of 30 articles, with varying degrees of elaboration. The first 21 articles refer primarily to civil and political rights. They prohibit discrimination, persecution for the holding of various political beliefs, slavery, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention.
Persons have the right to speak their mind, travel, reside anywhere, have a fair trial if charged with crimes, own property, form a family, and in the main to hold the rights of citizenship including universal and equal suffrage in their country.
The remaining nine articles address what may be called social and economic rights. These include rights to basic social security in accordance with the resources of the state in which the persons reside; rights to adequate leisure and holidays with pay; an adequate standard of living so that individuals and families have sufficient food, clothing, shelter, and medical care; and education, free at least at the primary and secondary levels.
In addition, these nine articles would guarantee a vibrant cultural life in the community, the right to enjoy and participate in the arts, and to benefit from scientific achievements.
In addition, the document also committed nations to work to end most forms of pain and suffering.
Over 70 years ago, on December 10, 1948, delegates from the United Nations General Assembly signed the document which they called “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” It consisted of a preamble proclaiming that all signatories recognize "the inherent dignity" and "equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family" as the "foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world."
The preamble declared the commitment of the signatories to the creation of a world “in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want...”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of 30 articles, with varying degrees of elaboration. The first 21 articles refer primarily to civil and political rights. They prohibit discrimination, persecution for the holding of various political beliefs, slavery, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention.
Persons have the right to speak their mind, travel, reside anywhere, have a fair trial if charged with crimes, own property, form a family, and in the main to hold the rights of citizenship including universal and equal suffrage in their country.
The remaining nine articles address what may be called social and economic rights. These include rights to basic social security in accordance with the resources of the state in which the persons reside; rights to adequate leisure and holidays with pay; an adequate standard of living so that individuals and families have sufficient food, clothing, shelter, and medical care; and education, free at least at the primary and secondary levels.
In addition, these nine articles would guarantee a vibrant cultural life in the community, the right to enjoy and participate in the arts, and to benefit from scientific achievements.
If the Declaration were written today,
concern for the radically deteriorating environment and climate change would be
prioritized. In addition, the language of the document would be sensitive to
gender neutrality. It would also include the rights of gay. lesbian, and
transgender persons and their relationships.
But despite the limitations the list of
political, social, economic, and cultural rights embedded in this historic document
it can still provide a guide to action.
To illustrate, Article 23, one of the longer articles, identified four basic principles:
To illustrate, Article 23, one of the longer articles, identified four basic principles:
Everyone has the right to work, to
free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work, and
to protection against unemployment
Everyone, without discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself (or herself) and his (her) family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his (her) interests.
Everyone, without discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself (or herself) and his (her) family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his (her) interests.
Youth and the Future
Youth recognize that the global political economy is broken. The dominant mode
of production, capitalism, increasingly cannot provide work, fair remuneration,
rights of workers to speak their mind and organize their own associations, and
the provision of a comfortable way of life because most of the wealth they
create is appropriated by the top 1 percent of global society. They also see a
fundamental incompatibility of the global economic system and environmental
sustainability.
Therefore, to finally achieve these rights,
including saving the planet, it is fitting that the OHCHR recognizes that if
the human race is going to survive, the mobilization of youth in the
world today must be respected and supported. Their impatience is not an
indication of immaturity. It is a reflection of the fact that this generation
recognizes the severity of the situation in which we live.
