PRESS STATEMENT | LHR and partners celebrate Human Rights Day 2022 with festival in Musina

Date: 21/03/2022


Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), in collaboration with local partners, will celebrate Human Rights Day this year with a festival at Skoonplaas Stadium in Musina, Limpopo. The celebration includes the Musina Municipality, Musina LGBTIQA+, Musina Legal Advice Office, Musina FM, Future Families, IOM, Red Cross, and Musina Disability Forum. The event is also enjoys support from Just Associates.

 

These organisations will join hands to remind South Africans to live in peace, while promoting equality, freedom, and respect for the human dignity of all who live in South Africa. Every individual is entitled to rights irrespective of race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, nationality or social status, among others in Section 9 of the South African Constitution. Again, to spread the message about the importance of working together in upholding the culture of Human Rights, which comes with the responsibility to build a society that respects the rule of law.

The event will start at 8am with a Fun Walk for community members and stakeholders holding banners and posters, raising awareness of Human Rights Day with a special focus on the rights of LGBTIQA+ people.  The Fun Walk will start at Lesly Manyathela Stadium, and arrive in Skoonplaas Stadium. There will be arts and theatre activities, as well as messages of support from stakeholders. Cllr Nkhanedzeni Godfrey Mawela, the Mayor of Musina, will give a keynote address, and the event will be closed with a soccer match.

This event will be celebrated under the local theme: Freedom of Movement and Residence, as well as the United Nations Theme “Equality.” Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.

Human Rights Day is commemorated annually on 21 March to remind South Africans of the sacrifices that accompanied the Liberation Struggle and the attainment of democracy in South Africa. This day honours the profound events of 21 March 1960, the day 69 people died and 180 people were wounded by police during a peaceful protest in Sharpville.  The 2022 commemoration coincides with the 26th anniversary of the South African Constitution. The South African Constitution is the protector of our Human Rights, which were previously denied to the majority of people in South Africa under apartheid.

For more information:  

Bertha Chiguvare

Programme Officer | Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme

Email: bertha@lhr.org.za

Tel: +27 15 534 2203

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