As we enter the New Year, here’s a reminder of the importance of human rights, from an Advent service on 11 December 2022 at Stockton led by Margaret Robinson and Margaret Whitham.

“We had readings from Martin Luther King, Dawn, Buckle, Rev. Cliff Reed, Rev. Sydney H. Knight and from the book “Stand Up for your rights”. In the shadow of World War II, the United Nations set forth the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. This document asserts that all human beings are free, equal, and entitled to dignity, safety, peace, and security regardless of nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, or religion. It prohibits actions that deny these values (such as slavery, torture, or discrimination).

“Disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts … and call for the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want. All are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of mutuality (Article 1). Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being (Article 16).” From the United Nations ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’.

Advent is a season of waiting, so we need to remind ourselves that millions of people around the world live in unbearable cycles of waiting: waiting for water and food, waiting for shelter and a place to call home, waiting for an end to daily emotional and physical violence, waiting for a taste of justice.

We need to work for and defend these basic human rights, that all people need in order to survive and have some measure of safety, freedom, and dignity. This should be our vision for 2023.”