Campaign takes Human Rights to the streets

HUMAN Rights Day took on a twist for the DA branch in ward 31 when each member of the group dressed up to represent a specific right, including freedom of expression, association, religious beliefs and opinion, speech and education, and then approached people on the street and in local shopping malls to ask about their views on the rights they represented.

“We interviewed people on camera and will be compiling a video to put online to create awareness about human rights. We tend to focus on the negative and this is a positive drive to celebrate our rights which need to be protected, and educate people, all while having fun!” said Chris Pappas.

Naazneen Khan, who represented the right for religious expression, said a lot of people know about their rights but don’t realise they can enforce these, according to the Constitution.

“I’m super enthusiastic about our project and I hope people will go home with new knowledge on human rights. I hope the campaign is a success and that everyone has fun!” she said.

Remona McKenzie represented the right of expression, which she said focused on the press and media with the main aim to avoid inciting violence on gender and religious issues which could cause harm to people.

“I want to urge people not to judge a book by its cover. People shouldn’t be judged on what they wear and should be able to wear what they want as a way of expressing themselves. People shouldn’t stand against this and should get to know others from the inside out,” she said.

Promoting the right to education, Deelyn Howell said he felt this was a vital human right, especially as the need to look into upgrading the KZN education system was such a heated topic.

“We need to educate people about their right to education as education is fundamental for life and our future. A good education is important as it sets up the basics, the foundation for a person,” he said.