December 10, 2021
Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10 – the day in 1948 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, the OHRC continues to work to reduce inequalities by advancing a human rights-based approach to the economy, social contracts and COVID-19 recovery to promote a society that values the dignity and worth of every person, and allows each person to participate and contribute fully to the development and well-being of the community and province.
Listen to Chief Commissioner Patricia DeGuire’s statement:
Here are some ways to get involved on Human Rights Day:
- Learn about your rights and responsibilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code – take the Human Rights 101 eLearning course
- Learn more about the Ontario Human Rights Code and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Stand up against racism – take the OHRC’s Call it Out: racism, racial discrimination and human rights eLearning course
- Collect human rights-based data to make sure your organization respects human rights, then act on it. Data is a tool for learning what is and is not working. Learn more in the OHRC’s guide Count me in! Collecting human rights-based data
- A resource for students: Take a human rights quiz
- Find out more about the OHRC’s work on promoting a human rights-based approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Read our Policy statement on human rights in COVID-19 recovery planning, Policy statement on COVID-19 vaccine mandates and proof of vaccination certificates and Policy statement on a human rights-based approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic
- See our COVID-19 questions and answers
- Watch the celebration video from the OHRC’s 60th anniversary where Premier Doug Ford, Attorney General Doug Downey and other speakers emphasize the significant role of the OHRC in our justice system
- Read To dream together, the OHRC’s Indigenous peoples and human rights dialogue report. It highlights the wisdom of diverse Indigenous people on how to reconcile Ontario’s human rights system with Indigenous frameworks, constitutions, processes and laws
- Learn about your rights and responsibilities under the Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and how they affect you at work, in services and in housing in Working Together: The Code and the AODA
- Read the OHRC’s Framework for change to address systemic racism in policing. It calls on Ontario to establish a legislative and regulatory framework to directly address systemic racial discrimination in policing across the province
- Watch the OHRC’s training on its Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities
- Share any of these links with your social networks.