Inclusion Infusions: Upcoming Human Rights Panel

Posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2021

Human Rights are the bedrock of equity, diversity and inclusion. This week I’m offering a quick backgrounder on human rights, in order to get everyone ready for the May 19th event ‘Human Rights Commissions on the Responsibilities of Post Secondary Educational Institutions’ with Ena Chadha, Chair of the Human Rights Commission of Ontario and Karen Sharma, Executive Director at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. Post-secondary institutions have a statutory obligation to promote and support human rights. Recent events are bringing renewed attention to the role institutions play in the human rights project. Is it to lead, model, and educate? Or is complaint resolution enough? Please join us for a pointed and timely examination of the current challenges, as well as standards that post-secondary institutions should be achieving to ensure the respect of the human rights of their learners and employees. This event is being presented in partnership with the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Discrimination and Harassment in Higher Education. Register now https://algonquincollege.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rczTTl8sQMSSgS8FYt3Agw

In Canada, we adhere to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

However, the six principles of human rights are as follows (UNFPA 2005):

  1. Universality and Inalienability: Human rights are universal and inalienable. All people everywhere in the world are entitled to them. The universality of human rights is encompassed in the words of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
  2. Indivisibility: Human rights are indivisible. Whether they relate to civil, cultural, economic, political or social issues, human rights are inherent to the dignity of every human person. Consequently, all human rights have equal status, and cannot be positioned in a hierarchical order. Denial of one right invariably impedes enjoyment of other rights. Thus, the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living cannot be compromised at the expense of other rights, such as the right to health or the right to education.
  3. Interdependence and Interrelatedness: Human rights are interdependentand interrelated. Each one contributes to the realization of a person’s human dignity through the satisfaction of their developmental, physical, psychological and spiritual needs. The fulfilment of one right often depends, wholly or in part, upon the fulfilment of others. For instance, fulfilment of the right to health may depend, in certain circumstances, on fulfilment of the right to development, to education or to information.
  4. Equality and Non-discrimination: All individuals are equal as human beings and by virtue of the inherent dignity of each human person. No one, therefore, should suffer discrimination on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity, gender, age, language, sexual orientation, religion, political or other opinion, national, social or geographical origin, disability, property, birth or other status as established by human rights standards.
  5. Participation and Inclusion: All people have the right to participate in and access information relating to the decision-making processes that affect their lives and well-being. Rights-based approaches require a high degree of participation by communities, civil society, minorities, women, young people, indigenous peoples and other identified groups.
  6. Accountability and Rule of Law: States and other duty-bearers are answerable for the observance of human rights. In this regard, they have to comply with the legal norms and standards enshrined in international human rights instruments. Where they fail to do so, aggrieved rights-holders are entitled to institute proceedings for appropriate redress before a competent court or other adjudicator in accordance with the rules and procedures provided by law.

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