21 March – Human Rights Day
27 April – Freedom day
1 May – Workers day
16 June – Youth Day
09 August – Women’s Day
24 September – Heritage Day
16 December – Day of Reconciliation
Significant Human Rights Days
08 March – International Women’s Day
03 May – World Press Freedom Day
01 June – International Children’s Day
05 June – World Environment Day
20 June – World Refugee Day
11 July – World Population Day
01 October – International Day for the Elderly
21 October – Africa Human Rights Day
01 December – International World Aids Day
03 December – International Day for Disabled Persons
10 December – International Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day, 21 March
We celebrate this day each year to remind us of the great suffering and loss of life that
accompanied the struggle for human rights. It is to remind us that people in South Africa will
never again be denied their human rights.
Additional info
What is Human Rights Day? Human Rights Day (21 March) is the day set aside to celebrate
human rights and to remind all South Africans of their human rights.
What are human rights? Human rights are the rights that everyone has, simply because they
are human beings. They are the rights we all have from the moment we are born. We do not
have to earn them and they cannot easily be taken away from us.
The list of human rights protected in South Africa is the Bill of Rights, which is Chapter 2
of the Constitution. The Constitution is the highest law of South Africa. Everyone in South
Africa, including the government, must follow it. The rules set out in a Constitution are
very hard to change, and so the rights in the Bill of Rights are also very hard to change. This
means that it is difficult for anyone to change your rights or to try and take them away from
you.
Rights and responsibilities
Because everyone has these rights regardless of their race, age or
gender, we all have to respect other people’s rights as well. It is no good saying that you have
these rights if you are doing things at the same time, which go against other people’s rights.
And, we must all respect and follow the laws of the country as well.
Why do we celebrate Human Rights Day on 21 March?
On 21 March 1960, events were
planned for many parts of the country, for people to protest against the Pass Laws. These
laws required all Africans living or working in and around towns to carry a document (known
as a pass) with them at all times. Failure to carry this document would lead to arrest by the
police and to people being sent away from the towns in which they lived.
On this day people decided to go to police stations without their passes and to demand that
the police arrest them.
The idea was that so many people would be arrested and the jails would become so full that
the country would not be able to function properly. It was hoped that this would lead to the
Pass Laws being scrapped. At Sharpeville in Gauteng, thousands of people gathered at the
police station demanding to be arrested. They were met by 300 police officers. After a scuffle
broke out, the police opened fire on the crowd. At least sixty-seven people were
killed and 180 injured by the shooting.
These people were protesting against unfair laws and were really demanding their human rights.
Many of these rights are now included in our Bill of Rights, and include the rights to:
• Equality (Section 9)
• Human dignity (Section 10)
• Freedom of expression (Section 16)
• Assembly, demonstration, picket and petition (Section 17)
• Freedom of association (Section 18) and
• Freedom of movement and residence (Section 21)
