Understanding, defending human rights .......

There is a general lack of knowledge about human rights and their value in allowing us to properly deal with violations and in helping to reduce crime.

Many of us attach very little meaning to human rights and, as a result of this, violations go unnoticed and often unpunished.

We must take a stand. Learn our rights, protect our rights and speak out against human-rights violations.

Let us not wait until our rights are violated before taking a stand. Learn about your rights, teach your friends and your neighbours about their basic human rights.

We all have certain rights which are bestowed upon us when we are born and we are entitled to these rights.

Our government has the responsibility of protecting our rights, but we too have our part to play.

We all have a right to promote and protect human rights by lawful and peaceful means.

We have freedom of expression, freedom of movement, freedom of association and we also have a right to take part in the conduct of public affairs.

The right to freedom of speech and expression

This right is extremely important for various activities relating to the promotion and protection of human rights.

It gives us the right to give and receive information and, by extension, allows for us to get information about human rights and human-rights violations. Because we have freedom of speech and expression, we can peacefully protest, publicise and circulate information and criticise the failure of government to protect or promote our human rights.

The right to peaceful assembly and association

We have a right to come together to promote and protect human rights through peaceful protest or to express our views. We have the right of assembly and governments must ensure that we can peacefully gather.

We are free to form and participate in associations to promote and protect human rights. This includes being able to seek and receive resources, to organise and to peacefully promote and protect human rights in association with others.

The right to freedom of movement

We have the right to freedom of movement and, like our other rights discussed before, government must ensure that once we are lawfully in this territory that we have freedom of movement. We may use this freedom to investigate, promote and protect human rights. This right includes being able to freely leave and re-enter our own country.

The right to take part in the conduct of public affairs

We have the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, either through direct involvement or through the election of representatives. The conduct of public affairs refers to the exercise of political power and the development and implementation of policy in all areas of public administration. We live in a democracy and we all have a say.

The right to receive and impart information

People have a right to seek and obtain information about human rights. Individuals and groups are entitled to access to national, regional and international information regarding human rights.

Governments must ensure that people have unobstructed access to all forms of media, including the Internet. Everyone should also be free to submit complaints of human-rights violations to human-rights mechanisms, without obstruction or hindrance.

We live in an independent Jamaica, one that our forefathers fought to make free. We must, therefore, live freely, in peace and respect each other, irrespective of our socio-economic differences.

We must strive to ensure that our fundamental rights and freedoms are protected, as outlined in our Constitution, and further pronounced in international treaties to which we are a party to.

Human rights are important to all of us, let us protect our rights.