World Human Rights Day 2025: “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”

What’s the News?

• Human Rights Day was observed globally on December 10, 2025, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN in 1948.
• The United Nations designated the theme for 2025 as “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”, emphasising that rights are not abstract legal concepts but tangible necessities like food, shelter, and safety.
• In India, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) organised a commemorative function at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, where President Droupadi Murmu served as the Chief Guest.

2025 Theme: “Our Everyday Essentials”

• Objective: The theme aims to reconnect people with human rights by demonstrating how they underpin ordinary, daily experiences. It seeks to bridge the gap between global principles and personal realities.
• Three Core Pillars:
  • Positive: Rights represent more than just protection from harm; they are the foundation of joy, well-being, and opportunity.
  • Essential: In a volatile world, rights (such as safety and freedom of expression) serve as the "everyday constants" and bedrock of stability.
  • Attainable: Rights are realised through small, daily choices—treating others with respect and challenging unfairness—not just through court verdicts.
• Global Context: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted that amidst global turbulence, access to essentials must be viewed as a right, not a function of wealth.

India Celebrations & Highlights

• President’s Address:
  • President Murmu described universal human rights as the "bedrock of a just, equitable, and compassionate society."
  • She invoked the philosophy of Antyodaya (ensuring rights for the last person in the line) as central to inclusive development.
  • Highlighted the 4 Labour Codes (wages, social security, industrial relations, safety) as transformative reforms ensuring the dignity of the workforce.
• NHRC Initiatives:
  • A new NHRC Mobile App was launched to facilitate easy complaint filing and real-time tracking of cases.
  • A National Conference was held on the theme “Ensuring Everyday Essentials: Public Services and Dignity for All”.
  • NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian emphasised that human rights must be elevated to the level of "human values" to be truly effective.

Additional Info

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
  • Adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, in Paris.
  • It is the most translated document in the world and established the first global standard for fundamental human rights.
• National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India:
  • Status: Statutory body established under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993.
  • Composition: A Chairperson (retired Chief Justice or Judge of the Supreme Court) and other members.
  • Mandate: To inquire into violations of human rights, visit jails, and review safeguards provided by the Constitution.
• Constitutional Provisions (India):
  • Preamble: Secures "Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity."
  • Part III (Fundamental Rights): Justiciable rights including Article 14 (Equality), Article 19 (Freedom of Speech), and Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty).
  • Part IV (Directive Principles): Non-justiciable guidelines for the state to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare (e.g., Article 39 on livelihood, Article 43 on living wages).

Sources

• OHCHR
• Business Standard
• News18

International Animal Rights Day 2025: Global Call for Interspecies Justice

What’s the News?

• International Animal Rights Day (IARD) was observed globally on December 10, 2025, coinciding with Human Rights Day to highlight the shared principle that all sentient beings deserve dignity and protection.
• Advocates worldwide used the occasion to call for the adoption of a Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (UDAR), aiming to end speciesism—the assumption of human superiority leading to the exploitation of other species.
• The 2025 observance emphasised recognising animals not merely as property but as sentient beings capable of feeling pain, joy, and fear, urging a shift from "animal welfare" (better treatment) to "animal rights" (freedom from exploitation).

International Animal Rights Day: Origins & Objectives

• Established in 1998 by the animal rights group Uncaged, on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
• Core Principles:
  • Animals experience pain, joy, fear, and suffering; scientifically established as sentient.
  • Human rights frameworks should inspire protections for non-human animals.
  • Opposes animal use in testing, factory farming, entertainment, and illegal trade.
• Global Advocacy Focus Areas:
  • Ban on cosmetic testing on animals (e.g., EU 2013 regulation).
  • Sentience recognition in law (e.g., EU Lisbon Treaty, 2009).
  • Criminalization of extreme cruelty (e.g., US PACT Act, 2019).

Animal Welfare in India: Legal Framework & 2025 Developments

• Primary Legislation:
  • Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960:
    • Defines cruelty under Section 11 (e.g., beating, overloading, inadequate shelter).
    • Penalty remains outdated: ₹10–₹50 for first offence, ₹50–₹100 for repeat offence.
    • Section 3 imposes duty of care on owners and custodians.
• 2025 Reforms & State-Level Actions:
  • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023:
    • Effective from July 1, 2024, replacing the IPC.
    • Contains enabling provisions for penalizing animal cruelty, though specifics on sentencing remain under interpretation.
    • Note: BNS does not explicitly criminalize bestiality or sexual abuse of animals.
  • State Amendments:
    • Kerala Amendment Bill, 2025 and Punjab Amendment Act, 2025 signal sub-national momentum to tighten enforcement and penalties.

Additional Info

• Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (UDAR):
  • Originally proclaimed in Paris (1978) at UNESCO headquarters.
  • Key Articles:
    • All animals are born with an equal claim on life and the same rights to existence.
    • No animal shall be ill-treated or subject to cruel acts.
• Speciesism: A term coined by Richard Ryder in 1970, referring to discrimination against those who do not belong to a certain species (analogous to racism or sexism).
• Difference from World Animal Day:
  • World Animal Day (October 4): Focuses broadly on welfare and celebration (Feast of St. Francis of Assisi).
  • International Animal Rights Day (December 10): Focuses specifically on the philosophical and legal rights of animals.

Sources

• World Animal Protection
• ABP Live
• A-Z Animals
• Sigma Earth

Nobel Prize Day 2025: Ceremony on December 10 Honours Global Champions of Knowledge and Peace

What’s the News?

• The 2025 Nobel Prize award ceremony was held on December 10, marking the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel, in accordance with his will.
• Six laureates (or groups) were honoured across five traditional categories and one memorial prize:
  • Physics: John Clarke (UK), Michel Devoret (France), John Martinis (USA)
  • Chemistry: Susumu Kitagawa (Japan), Richard Robson (UK/Australia), Omar M. Yaghi (Jordan/USA)
  • Physiology or Medicine: Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell (USA), Shimon Sakaguchi (Japan)
  • Literature: László Krasznahorkai (Hungary)
  • Economic Sciences: Joel Mokyr (USA)
  • Peace: María Corina Machado (Venezuela), represented by her daughter Ana Corina Machado at the Oslo ceremony

Why December 10?

• Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite, bequeathed the bulk of his fortune to establish prizes for those who “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”.
• His will, signed in 1895, specified:
  • Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
  • Awards to be conferred on December 10, the anniversary of his death (December 10, 1896).
• The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (1969) follows the same protocol.

Ceremony Traditions & Protocols

• Stockholm Ceremony (Sweden):
  • Prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Sciences are presented here.
  • The King of Sweden hands over the diploma and medal to the laureates.
  • Followed by a grand banquet at the Stockholm City Hall.
• Oslo Ceremony (Norway):
  • The Nobel Peace Prize is the only award presented in Oslo, as per Alfred Nobel's specific wish.
  • It is presented by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of the King of Norway.
• Components of the Prize: Each laureate receives a Nobel Diploma, a Nobel Medal, and a document confirming the cash prize amount.

Indian Laureates in Focus: Peace Category

• Mother Teresa (1979):
  • She was the first Indian citizen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • Awarded for her humanitarian work helping the "poorest of the poor" through the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.
• Kailash Satyarthi (2014):
  • Shared the prize with Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai.
  • Honoured for his "struggle against the suppression of children and young people" and for the right of all children to education through his movement, Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

Additional Info

• The Categories:
  • Original 5 (1895 Will): Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace.
  • Added later (1968): Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (often called the Nobel Prize in Economics).
• Selection Bodies:
  • Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, Economics.
  • Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet: Physiology or Medicine.
  • Swedish Academy: Literature.
  • Norwegian Nobel Committee: Peace (members appointed by the Norwegian Parliament).
• First Indian Laureate: Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian (and Asian) to win the Nobel Prize (Literature, 1913) for his collection Gitanjali.

Sources

• NDTV Profit
• India Today
• The Hans India
• Free Press Journal

Childhood & Intimate Partner Violence: Lancet 2025 Study Reveals Alarming Global and Indian Burden

What’s the News?

• A landmark 2025 study published in The Lancet, based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2023, estimates that globally:
  • 1.01 billion people aged 15+ experienced sexual violence during childhood.
  • 608 million females aged 15+ faced intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime.
• In India:
  • 23% of women aged 15+ experienced IPV.
  • 30% of women and 13% of men aged 15+ reported childhood sexual violence (CSV) exposure.
• South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa show the highest prevalence, with CSV and IPV health impacts compounded by high rates of HIV, mental illness, and chronic diseases.

Health Burden: From Social Issue to Public Health Emergency

• CSV-linked outcomes: Associated with 14 health conditions, including:
  • Mental health: anxiety, major depression, schizophrenia, self-harm.
  • Physical health: HIV/AIDS, type 2 diabetes, substance use disorders.
• IPV-linked outcomes: Tied to 8 major causes of disability, notably anxiety and depression; responsible for 145,000 global deaths (mostly homicide, suicide, HIV).
• Disability burden in South Asia:
  • Self-harm and schizophrenia top causes among men.
  • Anxiety leads among women.
• CSV alone contributed to 290,000 global deaths in 2023; IPV led to nearly 30,000 femicides.

Legal & Policy Gaps in India

• Existing Framework:
  • POCSO Act, 2012: Mandates child-friendly procedures for reporting, investigation, and trial of sexual offences against children <18.
  • Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005: Civil law providing protection orders, residence rights, and monetary relief.
• Critical Shortcomings:
  • Low conviction rates: ~14% under POCSO (NCRB 2022).
  • Underreporting: Social stigma, victim-blaming, institutional distrust.
  • Implementation gaps: Shortage of Special Courts, trained POCSO prosecutors, and trauma-informed counselors.
• GBD Findings Implication: Study reframes CSV and IPV not merely as criminal justice issues but as major public health priorities requiring multi-sectoral response.

Additional Info

• WHO 2025 Global Report: Confirms ~20% of Indian women aged 15–49 experienced IPV in 2023; ~30% faced it lifetime.
• Global Stagnation: Nearly 1 in 3 people (840 million) experienced partner or sexual violence in lifetime—unchanged since 2000.
• Constitutional & SDG Linkages:
  • Article 21 (Right to Life) includes right to live with dignity and mental well-being (Supreme Court in Selvi v. State of Karnataka, 2010).
  • Article 15(3) empowers state to make special provisions for women and children.
  • Aligns with SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 3 (Good Health), and SDG 16 (Peace & Justice).

Sources

• PTI
• The Economic Times
• The New Indian Express
• Hindustan Times