The Western countries had better squarely assess their human rights situations and mind their own affairs before finding fault with other countries.

By Choe Yong Nam

December 10 is World Human Rights Day.

On Dec 10 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with an aim of preventing human rights abuses.

The declaration was of great significance in championing human rights and preventing abuses worldwide.

It has been 71 years since the adoption of the declaration, but genuine human rights have not yet been provided on the earth.

For example, women’s human rights are severely trampled down in Japan.

Women taking most of part-time jobs are subjected to constant sexual assaults in their workplaces, but they have no place to complain about them in fear of dismissal.

The aged people are in a more miserable plight. Many of them cannot receive even a diagnosis for their illness as they have no money. Distressed by their hard life, they reportedly commit crimes regarding prison as a good shelter for their board and lodging for free. It is a common practice that children lose their lives under the ill-treatment of their parents.

It is the same case with the human rights situation in some Western countries. Extreme misanthropy, racial discrimination, gun violence and all kinds of social evils are rampant, thus threatening the people’s lives every moment.

Shortly ago, deadly shooting happened in succession in California, Oklahoma and other states of the US to take a heavy toll.

In the middle of The Hague of the Netherlands, several people were stabbed and injured.

National chauvinism and abuses of ethnic minorities are in an uncontrollable state and state-sponsored human rights abuses are openly committed. Refugees have become the targets of human trafficking, sexual harassment and forcible labour and they fail to get access to the most elementary human rights.

Over 1.5 million people from all walks of life recently turned out to streets in some 100 regions of France in demand of their rights to existence. The demonstrators protested against growing social inequalities and hard living.

The Western countries had better squarely assess their human rights situations and mind their own affairs before finding fault with other countries.

(Pyongyang Times - December 13, 2019)