Every 18th of December each year, the country of India observes the Minorities Rights Day. This day aims to promote the rights of all the minority communities in the country. It also aims to make people aware of the human rights that these communities have. The celebration of this day is nationwide. It focuses in the issues related to the minorities, especially their safety. That is why during this day, various events, campaigns, and seminars are held.
About the Minorities Rights Day in India
Rights are basically defined as the normal individual human rights applicable to every person regardless of their race, ethnicity, social class, religion, language, gender, and sex. The same definition applies to minorities groups but this time, we are specifically pointing out the people who are members of minority communities.
Abuse of minorities lead to political disharmony, frequent disagreements, and ultimately, a worse country. The constitution of India had always advocated for the fair and equal rights of all communities, including the minorities, but those of the latter seem to always be stepped on by the common people. Read more about Advocate Day.
To pave the way towards making a better nation free from discrimination and other related issues, the Minorities Rights Day in India is celebrated by holding various seminars discussing the status and plight of the minorities and the rights that they have. The day primarily aims to uplift the status of the minorities, which are often included but not strictly followed in development schemes arranged by the country.
People also advocate for the rights of the minorities by participating in campaigns and rallies to voice out to the people that the rights of the minorities should never be stepped on.
Minorities in India:
The minorities in India include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains. They constitute about 19% of the total population of the country. J & K, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshadweep are the only states where any notified minority is in majority. The leg of the government focusing on the welfare of minority communities is the Ministry of Minority Affairs founded in 2006. Under the National Commission for Minorities Act of 1992, the National Commission for Minorities was established.
The United Nations, on 18th December 1992, promulgated the “Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities” to discourage the countries to discriminate amongst people worldwide on the basis of religion, language, nationality or ethnicity.
History
The one responsible for the celebration of this day is the United Nations. On December 18, 1992, the prominent organization promulgated the Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities. This declaration discourages countries to discriminate against other people based on their ethnicity, nationality, language, or religion.
Dates
As mentioned earlier, the Minorities Rights Day in India is always celebrated on the 18th of December each year. This means that the upcoming Minorities Rights Day in India will be celebrated on Saturday, December 18, .
Why Celebrate
The following are the main reasons why you should participate in the celebration of the Minorities Rights Day in India:
To Promote Humanity
One good reason to celebrate this day is that this is the best time for you to promote humanity. For so long, minorities in India have suffered discrimination (let’s not forget about the caste-based system). It should end and should have ended a long time ago. There are still problems and issues that we face today. But if you join the celebration of this day, you can help in making a step forward for the country to achieve a better nation free from discrimination.
To Make a Better Country
Also a good reason to celebrate this day is that by doing so, you can make your country better. A country free from discrimination and which respects the rights of each and every citizen will become more developed as the people in it harmoniously live and work together. Collectively, this will make the country better and more developed.
To Stand Up for Yourself
Another reason to celebrate this day is that if you belong to the minorities groups, then it is all the more reason for you to celebrate. This is the perfect time to stand up and fight for the rights that you have. Show the people that just because you belong to the minorities group doesn’t mean they can step on your rights. No one can do that.
Minorities Rights Day Celebration Ideas and Activities
The following are the best things to do to make your celebration of the Minorities Rights Day in India as best as it can be:
Join Seminars and Conferences
During this day, various seminars and conferences are held to discuss the plight of the minorities groups and how they can be helped in terms of making sure that their rights are upheld. You should join these conferences to learn a lot of helpful things. You can then spread the information by sharing all the things you have learned to your friends and family.
Advocate for Minorities Rights
You can celebrate this day by advocating for the rights of all minorities in the country. To do that, you can participate in wide-scale rallies that campaign for strengthening the rights of the minorities. They also inform people about the importance of treating each other equally regardless of one’s social status, religion, language, ethnicity, gender, sex, etc.
Celebrate on Social Media
You can also take your celebration of this day on social media. You can, for instance, use the hashtag #MinoritiesRightsDayInIndia to let your friends and followers know that you are also participating in the celebration of this special day.
Quotes
- Don’t let anyone call you a minority if you’re black or Hispanic or belong to some other ethnic group. You’re not less than anybody else
- It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.
- It is always the minorities that hold the key of progress.
- If a country doesn’t recognize minority rights and human rights, including women’s rights, you will not have the kind of stability and prosperity that is possible.
- When you use the term minority or minorities in reference to people, you’re telling them that they’re less than somebody else. – Gwendolyn Brooks
- The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.
- Every country has various ethnic, cultural, religious minorities group. So, It is very important duty of the country to provide all rights to the minorities.
- And that is my definition of democracy, the right to be in a minority and not be suppressed. – Lee Harvey Oswald
- The minority yields to the majority!