December 10th 2012, marks World Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948. Today, members of International Federation of Medical Students´ Federation (IFMSA) contribute their voices to support the World Human Rights Day with a goal to promote the awareness about fundamental human rights and its violations.
It has been a year like no other for human rights. Human rights have been the center of many global discussions and topics, and remain a vital aspect of our global community. Now, the voices of medical students are being heard in their fights to stand for human rights. Now the medical student has an important role in human rights activism, and this is most certainly the case with the members of the IFMSA. Human Rights Day is an opportunity, every year, for medical students of the IFMSA to celebrate human rights, diversity, and advocate for the full enjoyment of all rights to all people everywhere. These human rights, the rights to freedom of opinion and expression (as highlighted in articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights) have been the center to the countless historical changes that have been taking place throughout the world.
We, the IFMSA, stand up for human rights, by taking the lead locally and globally. We stand with our fellow medical students around the world who struggle for their rights and freedoms, and to be treated with dignity and respect. Furthermore, we stand by the firm belief in strengthening our security and well being, and by standing against the abuses of human rights which feed into many of the dangers in the world that we confront; be it hatred, violence, conflict, corruption, or discrimination we the IFMSA believe that it is our duty as future physicians to integrate a human rights-based approach to health in our practice. As future health care professionals, it is our duty to advance the right to health in international education, development process, and advocate for health related human rights.
Human rights day holds a very important part to medical students, that is because in IFMSA SCORP every year, we celebare this day and take this as a chance for a global campaign to stand together and spread awareness about all human rights. What may seem as an ordinary fact to anyone, may be something that individuals around the world may not even know about. It is this united stance that we take to voice our thoughts to the global community of health care professionals on the importance of human rights, with emphasis on the right to health. Let us not forget, that the enjoyment of the highest attainable stand of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being.
On December 10th, medical students all over the world use their voices by concentrating on raising awareness, building knowledge, skills and raising support for those in need through numerous activities; such as lectures, exhibitions, debates, distribution of information on human rights, movie nights, peer education workshops, charity, and raising awareness. Today, we medical students, salute all those who have suffered so much seeking what is rightfully theirs, and all those people all over the world who in their own way are also saying we have a voice, we have our rights, we want them to be protected and respected. Simply because that is how is should be.
Fares Al Fares, on behalf of human rights action team
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