Human Rights Day is observed on December 10 every year. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.
The theme chosen for the year 2015 HRD is ‘Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always’. It marks the launch of a 1 year campaign commemorating two international human rights treaties International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Both of the treaties were adopted in 1966.
Human rights facts and figures
In 2014, Amnesty International recorded and investigated human rights abuses in 160 countries and territories around the world. Here are some of the most shocking statistics uncovered:
- War crimes or other violations of the “laws of war” were carried out in at least 18 countries.
- Refugees and migrants were – and still are – at particular risk.
- More than 3,400 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2014. Armed groups committed abuses in 35 countries.
- Nearly three-quarters of governments, around 119 countries out of 160, arbitrarily restricted freedoms. 82% (131 out of 160) of countries tortured or otherwise ill-treated people.