By Alex Odongo
Nairobi, Kenya: Leaders around the world have been blamed for failing to take firm positions to protect human rights which has resulted in deadly consequences.
According to Human Rights Watch report 2024 launched this week, which reviews the state of human rights around the world, it has emerged that world leaders turn a blind eye when universal rights principles are abused.
The report has criticized global leaders for being hypocritical by picking which human rights to stand for when speaking about horrible things happening in some parts of the world but not in others, which allows some leaders to take advantage of their power and commit atrocities.
It alluded to the Israel-Gaza conflict, in which many people suffered injuries and died. Hamas in Gaza has been accused of shooting and murdering many Israelis. They have also been accused of kidnapping children, disabled persons, and the elderly from their homes and detaining them in Gaza away from their families.
Because of the actions of Hamas, Israel has prevented residents in Gaza from receiving basic necessities such as food, water, power, and medicine. Israel also dropped bombs on many residential areas in Gaza, killing many children, women, and adults.
Many leaders have spoken out against Hamas’s actions. However, other leaders have remained silent on the atrocities committed by Israel’s leaders in Gaza.
Armed hostilities have also resurfaced in Ukraine, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Many people, including women and girls, have been injured or died as a result of these conflicts. Some leaders have also attempted to deprive individuals of their rights.
Afghanistan’s government, for example, has made life far more difficult for women and girls. They have prevented many women and girls from undertaking things such as attending high school or university.
In her keynote essay to the World Report, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan wants governments in 2024 to use principled diplomacy to have a meaningful impact on people whose rights are being violated.
Tirana further wrote, “Upholding human rights consistently, across the board, no matter who the victims are or where the rights violations are being committed, is the only way to build the world we want to live in.”
That means leaders should stand up for everyone’s human rights. Not just the rights of some people. That is because everyone’s lives are important.
