How Do We Gain Freedom for All?

How Do We Gain Freedom for All?

Jun 2, 2022

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains 30 separate articles each addressing a specific right. This blog will focus on Article 4 which reads: “No one shall be held in slavery¹ or servitude²; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”

This is a right that most people would say, of course, you should not hold another human being in slavery or servitude! And yet, some estimates suggest over 40,000,000 people are enslaved in the world today in either labor trafficking or sex trafficking. It is a difficult statistic to actually track since perpetrators are not voluntarily reporting it.

To really understand what human trafficking is, I’ve found it best to learn from some real-life stories. It is far more impactful and makes it more real than just seeing a statistic or number on a page.

To learn about sex trafficking, I highly recommend the book “I Am Not Your Slave” by Tupa Tjipombo and Chris Lockhart.

“I Am Not Your Slave is the shocking true story of a young African girl, Tupa, who was abducted from southwestern Africa and funneled through an extensive yet almost completely unknown human trafficking network spanning the entire African continent. As she is transported from the point of her abduction on a remote farm near the Namibian-Angolan border and channeled to her ultimate destination in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, her three-year odyssey exposes the brutal horrors of a modern-day middle passage. During her ordeal, Tupa encounters members of Africa’s notorious gangs, terrifying witchdoctors, mysterious middlemen from China, corrupt police and border officials, Arab smugglers, and high-ranking United Nations officials. And of course, Tupa meets her fellow trafficking victims, young women and girls from around the world. Tupa’s harrowing experience, including her daring escape and eventual return home, sheds light on the most shocking aspects of modern-day slavery, as well as the essential determination to be free.”- Chris Lockhart

For education on labor trafficking, be on the lookout for a documentary that is currently in development titled, “To Be Free”.  The film shines a light on the pervasiveness of labor trafficking in the United States of America, how we can spot it in our neighborhoods, and the steps we can take to eradicate this form of modern-day slavery on a systemic level. You will hear the unbelievable story of Harold and Dancy D’Souza who endured more than 18 months of slavery in the state of Ohio. The film is produced and directed by Benjamin Ryan Nathan with Martin Sheen as Executive Producer. For more information on To Be Free and how to get involved, contact Ben@allofusfilms.com.

https://www.pingara.com/post/martin-sheen-executive-producer-film-be-free-feature-harold-dsouza

If this particular human right is one you are passionate about, there is likely an organization near you that is doing something about it. I’ve come into contact with quite a few groups that are doing great work, such as:  Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition, Eyes Open International, Operation Underground Railroad, and Zoe Ministries-Delaware. I’m sure there are many organizations that would appreciate your help!

Something else for us to consider in regards to slavery pertains to Merriam-Webster’s second definition which reads, “submission to a dominating influence (slavery to a habit)”. How many people in our society are held in slavery to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sugar, junk food, or any bad habit they just can’t seem to stop? The numbers are probably very high. If we include people enslaved to harmful habits or emotions in the slavery statistic, I wonder how many people are actually free. Even more important, what can we do to help each other be free?

Remember, it is not enough to just know your human rights (although that is a good start); we need to get into action to protect these human rights for ourselves and others.

For a free online course to learn all 30 of your human rights, visit: https://www.humanrights.com/course/

 

Definitions from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

¹Slavery

1  : the practice of slaveholding

    : the state of a person who is held in forced servitude

    : a situation or practice in which people are entrapped (as by debt) and exploited

2  : submission to a dominating influence (slavery to a habit)

 

²Servitude

  • : a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one’s course of action or way of life
  • : a right by which something (such as a piece of land) owned by one person is subject to a specified use or enjoyment by another
Right to Life, Liberty, and Security of Person

Right to Life, Liberty, and Security of Person

Mar 28, 2022

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains 30 separate articles each addressing a specific right. This blog will focus on Article 3 which reads: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.”

Current events would make it seem like this right does not exist at all, especially for civilians in Ukraine. The truth is this human right belongs to everyone. The problem is there are not enough people who know their rights so it is difficult for them to stand up for these rights for themselves or others.

The people in charge in Russia are currently violating nearly all 30 of the UDHR articles or human rights for civilians in Ukraine. How could that be? Well, there is something called mutually assured destruction (MAD)* that is keeping freedom-loving countries from stepping in to help.

Brad Schaeffer in an article on dailywire.com said, “We are barely on the other side of the divide of the dawn of the Nuclear Age…the greatest moral challenge humankind has ever had to confront. What do I mean by this? I am not convinced that humanity has developed the moral grounding to be the wise stewards of such awesome power. There are currently over 13,000 nuclear warheads dotting the planet, and I am disconcerted by the notion that no weapons system has ever been developed that was left unused…

The great promise governing these weapons of mass destruction is that MAD (mutually assured destruction) will keep any conflicts hemmed in and local, for the risks of nuclear war in which both parties are annihilated is seen by all sides as unacceptable.”

If we had an ideal culture and a high level of ethics on this planet, something like an atomic weapon would never have been dreamed of, let alone produced! Its only purpose is to destroy lots of life—humans, plants, animals–all life over a widespread area. This could take us into a whole other level of discussion but I believe the point is made.

A few years ago, I attended a gathering with local non-profits in the Philadelphia area. One of the Organization Leaders came to me and said, if you are serious about human rights then you need to talk about atomic weapons and their threat to human rights. At the time I thought it was extreme but now in 2022, we have a Head of State threatening the use of atomic weapons and other Heads of States hesitant to get involved because of MAD. It is all MAD!! We are talking about extinction-level destruction.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into existence as a result of the atrocities of the Nazis and the destruction of World War II. We need to learn from History! Let’s be sure to bring these human rights to life and prevent human rights violations and anything even close to World War III from happening. I guarantee YOU will come more to life as well.

We can create an ideal culture where all life thrives!

To learn your 30 human rights, take a free online course here: https://www.humanrights.com/course/

March 1st is Zero Discrimination Day

March 1st is Zero Discrimination Day

Mar 1, 2022

Zero Discrimination Day is a day that is observed annually on March 1st. This holiday was created by the United Nations in 2014 to promote equality throughout the world.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains 30 separate articles each addressing a specific right. Article 2 addresses zero discrimination and reads: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional, or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing, or under any other limitation of sovereignty.”

No one should be discriminated against for any reason on any day. However, statistics show discrimination remains prevalent in many areas. When a person is discriminated against, he or she receives different treatment because of their category or group. The person is not seen based on individual merit but based on some category, class, or group bias.

According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, job applicants with African American names have to apply to 50 percent more jobs to get a callback. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, Black men receive sentences that are on average 20 percent greater than white men for the same or similar crimes. source: theodysseyonline.com/7-statistics-that-will-change-view-racism

Stark gender disparities remain in economic and political realms. While there has been some progress over the decades, on average women in the labor market still earn 20 percent less than men globally. As of 2021, only 25 percent of all national parliamentarians were female, a slow rise from 11.3 percent in 1995. source: un.org/en/global-issues/gender-equality

The U.S. Department of Labor enforces roughly 180 laws designed to safeguard workers from discrimination and bias, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission facilitates additional layers of protection for the same purpose. Still, more than 1.8 million cases have been filed with the EEOC in the last two decades. There’s been no major decrease in the total number of discrimination complaints reported to the EEOC since 1997. source: paychex.com/articles/human-resources/eeoc-workplace-discrimination-enforcement-and-litigation

What can you do?

You can practice this particular human right in your daily life by treating all people with respect and dignity. File the appropriate reports if you observe discrimination in your workplace or groups.

And of course, know all 30 of your human rights and educate others to do the same. To get your free human rights educational materials visit: https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/educators/education-package-details.html

 

Definitions from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

Declaration: the act of declaring; Announcement – a written or spoken statement that tells people about something

Distinction: the act of perceiving someone or something as being not the same and often treating as separate or different

Entitled: having a right to certain benefits or privileges

Everyone: every person, all

Jurisdictional: the authority of a sovereign power to govern or legislate

Rights: the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled

Sovereignty: a country’s independent authority and right to govern itself

Discrimination,Mind,Map,Flowchart,,Social,Concept,For,Presentations,And,Reports
Act Towards One Another in a Spirit of Brotherhood

Act Towards One Another in a Spirit of Brotherhood

Feb 14, 2022

The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains 30 separate articles each addressing a specific right that we all have. Article 1 reads: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

These are beautiful words and most people would probably agree that We should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Unfortunately, statistics show we are not doing so well in this regard.

Global Estimates on Modern Slavery in 2017, showed on any given day there were likely to be more than 40 million men, women, and children who were being forced to work against their will under threat or who were living in a forced marriage that they had not agreed to, [not to mention sex trafficking.] source: un.org/en/academic-impact/fighting-modern-slavery-through-awareness-and-training

Today, there are thousands of victims of terrorism and their families scattered in all regions of the world, struggling in their solitude with the scars of trauma and injury. source: un.org/victimsofterrorism/en/about/messages-un-victims-terrorism

According to the most recent estimates, 10 percent of the world’s population or 734 million people lived on less than $1.90 a day. source: un.org/en/global-issues/ending-poverty

In contemporary conflicts, up to 90 percent of casualties are civilians, mostly women, and children. Women in war-torn societies can face devastating forms of sexual violence. source: un.org/en/global-issues/peace-and-security

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent, and devastating human rights violations in our world today.

  • 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.
  • Women and girls are disproportionately subjected to violence, including femicide, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, trafficking, and harmful practices.

source: un.org/en/spotlight-initiative/index.shtml

While these statistics are alarming, they are used to illustrate that we have far to go for all humankind to act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. Members of our human family are living in horrific conditions every day. Their human rights and dignity are violated with indiscriminate violence. It is simply not ok!

What can you do?

First, know that you can make a difference and that your actions matter. Practice this particular human right in your daily life by how you interact with and treat every person you meet. And of course, know all 30 of your human rights and educate others to do the same.

For a free online course, visit: https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/course

 

Definitions from: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

All: every member, the whole amount, everybody, everything

Human Beings: person: a man, woman or child

Free: not subject to the control or domination of another

Equal: like for each member of a group, class, or society

Dignity: the quality of being worthy of honor or respect

Rights: the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled

Endowed: to provide with something freely or naturally

Reason: the power of the mind to think and understand in a logical way

Conscience: a faculty, power, or principle enjoining good acts; the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being morally right or wrong

Spirit: the activating or essential principle influencing a person

Brotherhood: fellowship (quality or state of being comradely); alliance (an association to further the common interests of the members