Human Rights Day...not just a public holiday

Andrea Firth put the historical occurrence that brought about the public holiday into perfect words which is why I will be quoting her directly from the blog called "My Jet Online: Celebrating Human Rights Day" that she posted on the 20th of March 2014. This is what she wrote;

"Human Rights Day commemorates the 'Sharpeville Massacre' on 21 March 1960, when a large group of protesters took part in a campaign to resist unjust Apartheid laws which forced all black people to carry pass books. After a day of demonstrations the South African police then opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people and wounding 180.
Human Rights Day is a reminder of how undemocratic systems of government and abuse of authority can lead to injustice, oppression and violence. After 1994, 21 March was declared a public holiday, Human Rights Day, by the democratically elected government.
In 1996, then President Nelson Mandela said: "21 March is a day which, more than many others, captures the essence of the struggle of the South African people and the soul of our non-racial democracy. 21 March is the day on which we remember and sing praises to those who perished in the name of democracy and human dignity. It is also a day on which we reflect and assess the progress we are making in enshrining basic human rights and values."
As citizens of a democratic country, we must ensure that basic human rights are protected and respected. Everyone is entitled to human rights without discrimination of any kind. The South African Constitution states that one of our basic human rights is a right to life, equality and human dignity. We need to ensure that these rights are respected by finding ways, no matter how small, to improve people's lives every day."

(Firth, A., 2014) 

Today emphasises the importance of the rights of people, especially with the history of our country that involved mainly injustice and marginalisation of people of colour. OT should be well aware of the human rights and should make them part of the foundation of their intervention.


Reference

Firth, A., 2014. My Jet Online: Celebrating Human Rights Day. Retrieved on 21 March 2014, from http://www.myjetonline.co.za/Why-we-celebrate-Human-Rights-Day.aspx