Human Rights Day commemorated
The incident that caused the day to become a public holiday is known as the Sharpeville Massacre, which occurred on this day in 1960 and resulted in 69 deaths and 180 people wounded.
The South African calendar is littered with public holidays that don’t really mean all that much to people anymore, other than a free day off work.
Human Rights Day is one such example, as many South Africans are more than likely unsure as to why 21 March is a public holiday and what the events that took place to make it one, were.
ALSO READ: BLOGGING THE VIEW: 6 facts you should know about Human Rights Day
The incident that caused the day to become a public holiday is known as the Sharpeville Massacre, which occurred on this day in 1960 and resulted in 69 deaths and 180 people wounded.
This was in response to a peaceful crowd that had gathered to protest the Pass Laws of the time, and proclaim their rights. All these years later, the day is still commemorated as a reminder of our rights, as well as the human lives that were sacrificed along the way to help us achieve those rights.
Many people complained during SA’s hard lockdown that our rights were being infringed upon, but it is easy to see that is hardly the case when comparing our lives to those of people who had to fight for their basic human rights.
International Bill of Rights
· The right to equality and freedom from discrimination.
· The right to life, liberty, and personal security.
· Freedom from torture and degrading treatment.
· The right to equality before the law.
· The right to a fair trial.
· The right to privacy.
· Freedom of belief and religion.
· Freedom of opinion.
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