BY DZIKAMAI BERE
Last week, from September 28 to October 2, we launched the ZimRights LIVE, a multimedia platform for human rights information, advocacy and civic education. Launched in the week in which the world commemorated the first International Day for Universal Access to Information, ZimRights LIVE aims to bring human rights information and advocacy tools into the hands of as many people as possible and break the myth that human rights work is a preserve of only a few “non-governmental organisation people”.
We assert that human rights is everyone’s business and it is important that human rights information is part of our lifestyle. This is why we want human rights information to be everywhere: In our streets, on our phones, on radio, in the villages, in our businesses and indeed at our markets.
ZimRights LIVE, which is part of the #BeTheChampion4Rights campaign, is aimed at inspiring ordinary people to take an active interest in human rights. We do this through a series of products, short videos, our monthly podcast in three local languages, and inspiring interviews with leading artistes and human rights advocates. We invite you all to join this emerging movement for human rights. If you are still in doubt, we have five reasons for you.
Community: Because in a community, you can do more. Human rights violations are usually committed by powerful actors in our society. Standing up to the POWERFUL requires unity of purpose and building a CRITICAL MASS. Our platforms are an invitation to ordinary people to plug into our community and make meaningful impact in the communities we live in. Everyone can do something.
Our country needs all of us to ACT NOW! Thousands of human rights violations are committed in Zimbabwe every year. This year alone, we have documented over 800 human rights violations, including extreme torture and extrajudicial killings. These figures show a country at war with itself. A sufficient number of people speaking out and ACTING against these violations will reduce this number and save lives. Everyone of us is the sufficient number that must SPEAK and ACT!
Because after me, you maybe next. When one of us is vulnerable, we are all vulnerable. The Declaration of Human Rights was created largely because of the Holocaust and the horrors of war. One by one they were taken away, until the whole world was on fire. Today, over 4,5 million Zimbabweans have packed their bags and left. Many more are fighting to escape. Our humanity demands that we all stand for each other or fall all of us one by one.
Because human rights are everything. Human rights are the world we live in. And the world our children will live in. They are the water we drink. The shelter we sleep in. The schools we go to. The news we read. The roads we drive in. The buses we ride. The bread we eat. The light we see in the dark. The hospitals we go to for healing. Without human rights, our world is nothing and humanity perishes.
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Because you are our champion. You are the champion we have been waiting for. There are many issues that you care about. At ZimRights we believe we all have to help each other be the champion that our communities need to make a difference. We want to help you be the champion for human rights. We want to champion with you those rights. With a long legacy of fighting for human rights, we continually develop new resources and networks that we can deploy to your service to help you respond to the urgent needs of your community and see your vision become a reality.
If you want to participate in this campaign, get in touch with us using the details below. Tollfree: 0808 0487, WhatsApp: +263 772 954 075, email: [email protected] or website: www.zimrights.org.zw
