Westcol creates human rights awareness

Westcol Westonaria recently held a Human Rights Day Awareness Campaign where various stakeholders came together to commemorate human rights.

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The event saw student representative councillors, the South African Blood Service, the Department of Health and other stakeholders in attendance.

Student Support Services officer Letlhogonolo Mokataka explained that the main purpose of the event was to promote and protect human rights by raising awareness, advocating, and empowering students to gain knowledge of their rights.

Our goal was to encourage human rights conversation between students and promote a culture of empathy, humility and multiculturalism,” Letlhogonolo said.

Engineering student Makgotla Katlego presented his debate regarding criminal records. He argued that if a person commits a crime, it should not stay on their record. His reasons included rehabilitation and personal growth, employment and housing complications, human rights and dignity, as well as international human rights standards.

“The world at large will never be better if we label our fellow brothers and sisters as the crimes they committed in the past. It’s more like sending them back to the very same life of going against the law. The society ought to understand that we all make mistakes and shouldn’t be judged based on our past,” Makgotla said.

Public speaker and student Sthembiso Mbeje also agreed with Makgotla on the topic that criminal records should not be kept forever.

“Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes lead to trouble with the law. A criminal record is a record of a person’s past offenses, which can be used by law enforcement, employers, and other institutions. While keeping these records for some time can help maintain safety and justice, keeping them forever can create serious problems,” he explained.

He added that people who have served their punishment and changed their ways should not have to live with a criminal record for the rest of their lives. He also stated that keeping these records might make it harder for the person to move on, find jobs, and be accepted by society.

“People can change, and the justice system should focus on helping them do so, not just punishing them. Many people who commit crimes take steps to improve themselves through rehabilitation programs, education, or community service. If we truly believe that people can turn their lives around, we should not let their past mistakes define them forever,” Sthembiso noted.

He stated one of the biggest challenges faced by those with permanent criminal records is finding a job.

If records could be cleared after a reasonable time, more people would have the opportunity to work and contribute to society instead of being pushed into poverty and crime,” he emphasised.

Further, Sthembiso provided a solution with his debate.

“There should be laws that allow people to apply for their records to be cleared after a certain amount of time, especially for minor offenses or cases where a person has shown that they have changed.”

Peer educator Oratile Mogapi touched on the Discrimination Law and delivered a presentation where she discussed the lack of it.

“Individuals are being punished for expressing their opinions and beliefs. Where does it end? We need a better balance between protecting and preserving freedom of speech. We need to thrive, regardless of our background beliefs and opinions,” she expressed.