EDITORIAL - Our everyday essentials

The Philippines joins the world today in the annual observance of Human Rights Day with the nation still pushing for accountability in the killing of thousands of people in a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, and trying to ensure that there will be no repeat of the state abuses.

Also waiting for justice are relatives of most of the nearly 200 media workers killed in connection with their work since democracy was restored in 1986.

Beyond the killings, however, are the basic rights that millions of Filipinos do not get to fully enjoy. These are the fundamental rights to the necessities of life, notably clean water, food, health and education.

This year’s Human Rights Day focuses on these “everyday essentials,” with the United Nations campaign emphasizing “that human rights are positive, essential and attainable, bridging abstract ideas with lived experiences to foster awareness and action.”

Nearly eight decades after the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or UDHR on Dec. 10, 1948, the UN is hoping to render human rights principles less abstract, by making them relatable and connected to daily experiences.

As the UN pointed out, rights aren’t just for crisis situations, but constitute the foundations for everyday well-being.

In this regard, millions of Filipinos are not being sufficiently accorded the right to these basic necessities, which also include shelter and safety. Too many Filipino children below age five suffer from physical and mental stunting due to insufficient nutrition. Filipino 15-year-olds perform poorly in mathematics, science and reading comprehension.

In this Information Age where knowledge is power, millions of Filipinos suffer from functional and basic illiteracy. Too many communities lack the most basic requirement for survival: clean water.

By bridging the gap between daily experiences and the core values embodied in the UDHR – equality, justice, freedom and dignity – the “everyday essentials” campaign aims to raise awareness of human rights, inspire confidence and promote collective action.

“The abstract becomes real when we realize that everyday actions – spending time with family, reading the news, walking freely, drinking clean water or enjoying a meal – are made possible by human rights in practice,” the UN said.

Promoting universal human rights makes it possible to create an environment where – as UN chief Volker Turk put it – “everyone, everywhere, can live in dignity and freedom.”