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<a href="https://groundviews.org/category/issues/human-rights/" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://groundviews.org/category/issues/peace-and-conflict/" rel="category tag">Peace and Conflict</a>, <a href="https://groundviews.org/category/transitional-justice/" rel="category tag">Transitional Justice</a> </span>
<h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://groundviews.org/2018/12/10/building-an-ethos-of-rights/" title="Building An Ethos of Rights">Building An Ethos of Rights</a></h1>
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<p><em>Featured image courtesy <a href="https://ddkim323.wordpress.com/">David D Kim</a></em></p>
<p>December 10 is Human Rights Day, and marks 70 years since the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> was adopted.</p>
<p>Since inception, <em>Groundviews</em><span>
has dedicated itself to discussion on issues pertaining to human
rights. The following is a selection of content from the site,
juxtaposed with the relevant articles from the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. </span></p>
<p>This list is by no means exhaustive, but is an attempt to cover the
many different ways in which Sri Lanka has grappled with rights issues,
over decades.</p>
<p><strong>Article 1.</strong></p>
<p>“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Yet, in Sri Lanka, discrimination along lines of caste <a href="https://groundviews.org/2016/11/24/dealing-with-caste-prejudice-and-inequalities-in-sri-lanka/?fbclid=IwAR3VBJrIFizmFaRlm8Pp6P-Cpeg8ifxwuOAWOXshrvWVV_M5jejnVaguOr0">persists</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 2.</strong></p>
<p>“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in
this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour,
sex, language, religion, political or other opinion. Let’s examine how
Sri Lanka’s divisions along lines of race, religion, sex and language
has led to exclusion.”</p>
<p><strong>On language:</strong> Read <a href="https://groundviews.org/2017/02/20/lost-in-translation-shortfalls-in-the-implementation-of-sri-lankas-official-languages-policy/">here</a> on how Sri Lankans continue to be impacted by violations of our language policy.</p>
<p><strong>On gender:</strong> Read <a href="https://groundviews.org/2018/04/26/sri-lankas-pandemic-of-sexual-violence/">here</a> on how Sri Lanka’s ‘pandemic’ of sexual violence impacts women, everyday, on <a href="https://groundviews.org/2017/09/15/unpaid-care-work-the-overlooked-barrier-in-womens-economic-empowerment/">unpaid care work</a> – the hidden barrier to female participation in the workforce, and on <a href="https://groundviews.org/2018/06/10/womens-representation-and-participation-in-formal-politics/">barriers to female political representation</a>.</p>
<p><strong>On gender identity:</strong> Read <a href="https://groundviews.org/2018/09/12/sri-lanka-should-take-up-the-challenge-on-lgbt-rights/">here</a>
on the continued discrimination against members of the LGBTIQ
community, even as countries in the region move towards
decriminalization.</p>
<p><strong>Article 3.</strong></p>
<p>Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security – read a discussion on whether or not it is a fundamental right <a href="https://groundviews.org/2013/08/26/the-right-to-life-is-it-a-fundamental-human-right/">here</a>. Also read this on Sri Lanka’s history grappling with capital punishment <a href="https://groundviews.org/2018/09/01/on-capital-punishment/">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 5.</strong></p>
<p>No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment. Read about Sri Lanka’s broken system
and the ongoing use of torture, even post-2015, <a href="https://groundviews.org/2016/06/26/a-broken-system-sri-lankas-ongoing-battle-against-torture/?fbclid=IwAR1u2UpgTe1rbgqGT8TG_TGW0uDViBXXj1OUEX-9b0hCNMH1VCqfLH_S8Fw">here</a> and <a href="https://groundviews.org/2017/07/20/the-gloves-are-off-reactions-to-ben-emmersons-statement-on-torture-counterterrorism/?fbclid=IwAR1OY8r9GTPyXNguEV6IA-apbBn48NQkJnRMTD7H9jrPJkxSrLeALiBwhbY">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 9.<br>
</strong></p>
<p>No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Read about the legacy of the PTA <a href="https://groundviews.org/2018/08/08/deep-impact-emmersons-report-reveals-lasting-legacy-of-pta/">here</a>, <a href="https://groundviews.org/2016/06/28/continuing-abuse-under-pta-abductions-arbitrary-arrests-unlawful-detentions-and-torture/?fbclid=IwAR34ot6_GSj5JiJovOuOnDV5PQ3ahidzUtE50Ac-h6UMmGYObnd3oDK-za4">here</a> and <a href="https://groundviews.org/2016/06/01/white-vans-and-unlawful-detention-under-the-pta/?fbclid=IwAR0wyx7mqmT3OqpwUie5GoPJPqqoAMeXFv9gJip4r6m4sC5lhZfxX91Lcfo">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 12.</strong></p>
<p>No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy,
family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and
reputation. Read about the privacy implications of the e-NIC project <a href="https://groundviews.org/2017/09/01/we-need-to-talk-about-that-e-nic-project/">here</a> and concerns raised on surveillance <a href="https://groundviews.org/2012/02/16/are-chinese-telecoms-acting-as-the-ears-for-the-sri-lankan-government/">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 14.</strong></p>
<p>Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.</p>
<p>Read about Sri Lanka’s treatment of refugees <a href="https://groundviews.org/2014/08/14/asylum-seekers-refugees-in-sri-lanka-rubbish-to-throw-out-or-persons-to-take-care-of/">here</a> and <a href="https://groundviews.org/2017/10/23/the-rohingya-in-our-midst-learning-from-the-vulnerable/">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 15.</strong></p>
<p>Everyone has the right to a nationality. Read about the estate
community, disenfranchised under the Citizenship Act of 1948, and still
one of the most marginalised communities in the island <a href="https://groundviews.org/category/150-years-of-ceylon-tea/">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Article 16.</strong></p>
<p>Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.
They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at
its dissolution.</p>
<p>Read about the struggle to reform Muslim personal laws, and the
impact the current Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act has had on the
community <a href="https://groundviews.org/?s=MMDA&submit=Search">here</a>.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>