December 10 – Human Rights Day
Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials
Each year on December 10, the world observes Human Rights Day, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This groundbreaking document affirmed, for the first time in history, that every person is born with inalienable rights and freedoms, regardless of race, gender, nationality, ability, class, or any other status.
The 2025 theme, “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”, reframes human rights as tangible necessities that shape daily life. Access to clean water, safety, education, healthcare, and fair wages are not luxuries - they are fundamental rights. Yet for many, these remain out of reach. Human Rights Day challenges us to bridge that gap between principle and practice.
Canada is often viewed as a global human rights leader, yet many communities continue to experience exclusion, marginalization, and systemic harm. Indigenous Peoples still face the ongoing impacts of colonialism, including inequities in housing, health, and access to justice. Black and racialized communities experience overpolicing, workplace discrimination, and economic disparity. For 2SLGBTQIA+ people, human rights are under renewed threat in parts of Canada, where anti-trans legislation and hate speech are on the rise. Women and gender-diverse people continue to face gender-based violence and pay gaps. Disabled persons remain underrepresented in public life and overrepresented in poverty and housing precarity.
Human rights are not theoretical. They are what allow people to live with dignity, safety, and belonging every day.
The UDHR established a foundation for a just and equitable world, recognizing civil and political rights (freedom of speech, assembly, and voting), economic and social rights (housing, work, health care), and cultural rights (language, identity, and religion). In practice, these rights are deeply interdependent. Without access to food, housing, or income security, the right to participate in society is severely constrained. When language barriers or racism limit access to healthcare or education, other rights are compromised. When laws fail to protect against hate or violence, dignity is denied. Human Rights Day is a reminder that rights must be protected and enforced not just in law, but in service delivery, public policy, and community life.
Social workers have an essential role in upholding and advancing human rights. The 2024 CASW Code of Ethics positions the pursuit of justice, equity, and reconciliation at the heart of professional practice. Whether in child protection, healthcare, housing, or education, social workers support individuals navigating rights violations and push institutions to become more accountable, transparent, and inclusive.
Practicing from a human rights lens means:
Recognizing how systemic issues like poverty, racism, and ableism violate core rights
Responding to power imbalances in policy, programming, and interpersonal relationships
Advocating for reforms that promote equity, dignity, and meaningful choice
Protecting and uplifting the rights of people who are often unheard or excluded
Social work must not only respond to injustice, but it must dismantle the conditions that create it. Human Rights Day invites us all to reflect on what it means to live in a just society, and how far we have to go. Advancing human rights requires more than awareness; it requires sustained, collective action across communities, organizations, and governments.
Upholding human rights requires more than acknowledgement; it demands deliberate, sustained effort to dismantle the systemic barriers that deny people dignity, safety, and justice. This includes embedding rights-based principles into the design of policies, services, and institutions. Systems must be examined for the ways they may reinforce inequality or exclusion, and reimagined to reflect equity, accessibility, and inclusion as foundational values. Laws must be applied fairly, programs must reach those most marginalized, and investments must centre collective wellbeing over private interest. Advancing human rights means building environments where every person can participate fully and thrive. Human rights are the essential building blocks of a healthy, inclusive, and democratic society.
Resources