The Story of Human Rights is a fantastic ~9-minute video!
Watch it here:
You can also sign a petition to implement human rights education in schools and universities, and order free and other resources on human rights.
A growing number of Canadians are realizing that success in combating poverty depends on action being rooted in a strong human rights framework. Indeed, the human rights “frame” on poverty is central to the waging of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada – now endorsed by over 300 organizations across Canada as well as nearly 50 MPs and Senators (from across all parties), plus Elizabeth May and the Green Party of Canada.
As one marker of this trend, the December 2009 Senate report In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, included a recommendation “that the federal government, in recognition of both Canadian obligations under international human rights law, and their importance in claiming access to appropriate programs and services, explicitly cite international obligations ratified by Canada in any new federal legislation or legislative amendments relevant to poverty, housing and homelessness.”
Indeed, that is what could happen should Bill C-304 – An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians – pass into law. (When Parliament resumes March 3rd, work on this critical private member’s bill will continue: more on this in the coming weeks.)
Today, poverty prevails as the gravest human rights challenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime. Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.
Louise Arbour, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2006
