Youth Urged to Advance Human Rights

Nova Scotia youth must help to advance human rights for the next 50 years, says Dr. Jim Smith, Minister responsible for the administration of the province's Human Rights Act.

Dr. Smith issued the challenge in his remarks at a Human Rights Day event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The event focused on challenging youth to protect and advance human rights for the next 50 years. Youth from several Halifax-area high schools attended the event, which included Aboriginal drummers, an opening prayer by Noel Knockwood and a dramatic presentation of a special production by Voices, a black theatre ensemble.

"Since the creation of the Universal Declaration in 1948, there have been great advances in human rights," said Dr. Smith. "Government has had a significant role by enshrining human rights protections in law in this province and across the country. But there is also a role for each of us as individuals to do what we can to protect and promote human rights, and to challenge bigotry and ignorance when we come in contact with it."

In a stirring keynote address, Helena Jockel, a Holocaust survivor and Halifax resident, delivered a simple but powerful message: We all must stand up against injustice when we encounter it. She shared with the audience her experiences at Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp, and what the 50 anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights means to her.

The program also included the presentation of the Human Rights Citizenship Award, sponsored by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. Award recipient Flemming Holm of Dartmouth was recognized for his tireless work and dedication in helping four Filipino sailors from the Maersk Dubai achieve landed immigrant status in Canada.

For the first time, Human Rights Journalism Awards were presented to highlight the importance of communicating human rights topics to the public through the mass media and to encourage and recognize excellence in human rights reporting. The recipients of this year's journalism awards are:

• Lois Legge of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, print category, for her story Harassment No Joke, an exploration of sexual harassment in schools

• Shafik Obrai of CBC-TV, broadcast category, for Episode 11 of Moving On, a program focusing on issues and topics affecting persons with disabilities

• Christie Pashby of the University of King's College, Halifax, student category honourable mention, for her story on the case involving the search of a student at a Halifax-area school

"While we can be proud of what has been done to advance human rights, it is important to realize that we all have a continuing responsibility to promote human rights in our daily lives," said Dr. Smith. It is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the basic international pronouncement of the fundamental rights for all members of the human family, including the right to life, liberty and security of person and freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The declaration set a standard of moral conscience and achievement following its creation in 1948, and the seeds of the document are reflected in laws such as provincial human rights acts.

Human Rights Day 1998 is sponsored by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the Atlantic Jewish Council, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Scotiabank, Dalhousie School of Public Administration Students' Society, the Cultural Awareness Youth Group, Canadian Heritage and Human Resources Development Canada.