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by
Fred Kirby December 8, 2004
The
Declaration of Human Rights was signed on December 10, 1948 in response to
the atrocities of World War II.
Human rights require every person is to be treated with dignity. Every
person deserves to be safe and secure. When one person has human rights,
other persons have human responsibilities.
Attacks on human rights do not occur just in distant countries such as
Columbia or China. We, too, are guilty. Attacks on native people continue
to this day and seldom is justice served, whether at Ipperwash or Regina.
Few care.
We witness the denial of human rights in Kincardine. As citizens, we do
much to help the victims but do little to make government honour the
rights of abused women.
Abused women have the right to safety and security. If we accept the
Declaration, we must acknowledge the rights of those women just as we must
accept the responsibilities that go with them.
Women’s Shelters have been under-funded since the first one opened in
1976. The majority of recommendations from every coroner’s inquest into
the death of an abused woman have been ignored by government regardless of
which party is governing.
Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Community and Social Services, said, “We
will be creating some dignity for people.” Where is the dignity when
abused women are denied their human right to safety and security? Where is
the dignity when the Minister says she intends to actually reduce support
for Women’s Shelters and those to whom the Shelters give refuge?
The Minister has a responsibility to these women. You do not tell a
starving, ragged child that though he may die the future will be better
for others. Rather you feed and clothe the child and include him in that
future. The Minister should cease talking about percentages and think in
terms of human lives.
It is our responsibility as citizens to demand government fully protect
the rights of women, not in the future but now. That is what the
Declaration of Human Rights is about. It is not about charity, it is about
human rights. Think of that on December 10th and act on it now.
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