Despite a difficult operating environment for defenders of human rights, like civil society groups, climate activists, minorities and journalists, there have been major advances in protecting human rights in the past five years. From the introduction of just legislation, the abolition of draconian laws, liberation of activists, to the increased protection of marginalised groups, these welcome developments have occurred across the world in unprecedented ways.
Many examples from around the world stand out as highlights:
- In one of the historic cases, eight defenders of water rights and prisoners of conscience in Honduras, dubbed the Guapinol eight, were released unconditionally after spending over two years in prison for their fervent activism.
- 12 people were convicted in Malawi for the killing of a person with albinism in 2018, representing a push to protect minorities in the country.
- Following President Biden’s visit to Israel and pressure from the US government, Israel agreed to compensate the family of Omar As’ad, a Palestinian-American who died after Israeli soldiers mishandled him at a checkpoint.
- In an historic development, some countries around the world have continued to respect the sanctity and value of life by abolishing the death penalty. From Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea to Equatorial Guinea these countries took the bold step at a time when there has been a global call to find alternative measures to punish even the worst of crimes.
- In a major win for women rights, nations have championed laws and reforms that safeguards their sexual and reproductive rights while protecting their safety. Argentina legalised abortion in 2020, while Mexico and Colombia decriminalised the practice.
- Last year, Spain’s parliament passed a bill with provisions on preventing and prosecuting rape while Finland introduced measures that would make lack of consensual intimacy grounds for rape.
- In 2021, same-sex marriage became legal in Switzerland, after almost two-thirds of the population voted in favour of it in a referendum. Slovenia followed suit in October, legalizing same-sex marriage after a constitutional court ruling.
- And in a landmark ruling targeting transgender people and their right to family and happiness, South Korea’s supreme court ruled that nobody should fail to recognise the legal gender of transgender persons where children of minor age are involved.
But even as the world celebrates these wins, we have a long way to go in upholding and respecting human rights. Environmental activists continue to operate in a world of fear; countries continue to experience thinning democratic spaces; journalists are being gagged and the right to information for all is still being suppressed.
Now more than ever, actors in the human rights space should be inspired to push for more reforms – because human rights for all can be achieved.
Photo by Annie Spratt
