Today is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The team at Witness’ Hub put together the video above and invite you to add your video or post a comment on what image opened your eyes to Human Rights at http://hub.witness.org/udhr60

I’ll never forget the first images that opened my eyes to human rights.

I was about 9 years old and on TV watched what were the first ever televised images of famine.

The famine was caused by a Nigerian blockade of Biafra during the civil war (1967-70) between the state and the region in the east of the country that had declared its secession.

In earlier years at school we would give ‘money for the black babies’ in Africa every week, all we understood was that they were poor and needed our money to help them. Up until the black and white TV broadcasts of the Biafran war my only visual references were photographs that missionaries brought into the school when they visited to raise awareness and funds for their work. My recollection is of images showing poorly dressed but happy smiling children, then on TV I saw the devastation caused by war and famine, the children were no longer smiling, many cried, many were naked with distended stomachs and I learned that many were dying every day from famine and disease.

In just over 3 years over 1 million people died from War, Famine and Disease. As a result of the Nigerian-Biafran war and the inability of the Red Cross to quickly respond to the crisis and deliver effective aid Médecins Sans Frontières was founded.

Sadly the tensions between the various ethnic and religious groups that make up Nigeria are still present today, demonstrated by the recent trouble in Jos.

Jim
Human Rights Digest

What image made you 1st aware of Human Rights?

You can add your comment below or add it at http://hub.witness.org/udhr60