Human Rights Day: Putting it into practice, making a difference in our communities

TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) calls on all Canadians to meet the challenge of this year's theme for Human Rights Day, "Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always." 

This year's campaign revolves around four themes – freedom from fear, freedom of speech, freedom of worship and freedom from want – remain relevant today, 67 years after the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Anita Bromberg, CRRF Executive Director, states, "Sixty-seven years later the world struggles to put the principles of the Declaration into practice. I am heartened however that we as Canadians have confirmed our collective respect for human rights and freedoms as a top priority as documented in our study, The Report on Canadian Values. As we move forward on the challenges ahead, including a renewed commitment to the rights of Indigenous peoples while opening the doors to welcome refugees from war torn regions of the world, it is this respect that will allow us to dedicate the year ahead to ensuring that these rights and freedoms are put into practice."

The CRRF's 150 Stories features perspectives about being Canadian and people who have put respect for human rights and freedom and have made a difference in our communities. In recognition of International Human Rights Day, we feature one such story. Toni Silberman, a child of Holocaust survivors and vice-chair of the CRRF recounts:

My parents survived the camps with the unfathomable capacity to renew their commitment to life, and with the unshakeable courage to find a place, and space, to begin their new life in a new country.  They taught us over the years that democracies and their laws represent the possibilities inherent in justice, and that we had an obligation to 'pay it forward' to help make it happen.

The story is just one of the many initiatives that the CRRF has embarked on to engage Canadians in a national dialogue to strengthen our shared understanding and commitment to human rights and freedoms.

SOURCE Canadian Race Relations Foundation

Anita Bromberg, CRRF Executive Director, 416-508-9033