Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

2022 Theme: Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All

In the decades since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, human rights have become more recognised and more guaranteed across the globe. It has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants.

However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing – pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, climate change – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for collective actions that do not leave anyone behind.

EFDN programmes and Human Rights

ALL-IN&WIN

EFDN started a new project called ‘All-in & Win’ to increase knowledge & awareness to recognize discrimination in grassroots sports towards members of the LGBT+ community. Together with two academic institutions, the John Blankenstein Foundation and multiple hockey & football national associations, we aim for the acceptance of LGBT+ and creating a safe & inclusive sport climate for people who identify themselves within the LGBT+ label. 

Participation in sports is a human right and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy its physical, social and mental health benefits regardless of their sex, sexual oriantation or gender identity. Unfortunately, too many athletes experience discriminitory behavior and intolerance in sport. As a consequence, too many people are not willing to come out because they are afraid of the responses in their sport environment. 

WELCOME THROUGH FOOTBALL

Welcome Through Football is an EFDN initiative. Current projects across Europe receive funding from the Eramus+ programme of the European Union and the UEFA Foundation for Children.

The Welcome Through Football 2021 project aims to assist in the integration and inclusion of recently arrived young refugees, asylum seekers and young people with a migrant background. EFDN and partners will develop and test a European methodology that uses football as a tool to reach refugees and migrants from different ages (7-25 years old) to get them physically and social active in European communities.

Moreover, the project assists football coaches and youth workers in the development and sharing of effective methods in reaching out to the marginalised target group, in preventing racism and intolerance.

TACBIS

Colour blindness is one of the world’s most common inherited conditions, affecting an estimated 300+ million people worldwide. To address and raise awareness on this issue, EFDN developed the “Tackling Colour Blindness In Sport (TACBIS)” programme. Together with our programme partners we will investigate the prevalence of colour blindness in football (fans and players), identify barriers to progression for colour blind players and coping mechanisms employed by colour blind players. Together with our project partners we aim to raise awareness for colour blindness in sport and society and promote surroundings that are colour blind friendly. It is a human right to be protected from discrimination and take part in the social life which includes sport. EFDN will start an awareness campaign amongst clubs to prevent kit clashes for colour blind people and share the gathered knowledge and practical solutions in a new EFDN Practitioners Guide. We encourage all our member clubs to take first steps like, for example, to make changes on the website to improve the accessibility for colour blind people.

SHOW RACISM THE RED CARD 

In collaboration with network members and project partner Geef Racisme de Rode Kaart, EFDN delivers the Show Racism the Red Card programme. Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is a 24-month anti-racism and anti-discrimination programme. SRtRC utilises the high-profile status of football and football players to help tackle racism in society. The project aims to raise awareness of diversity, foster social cohesion, and reduce physical and verbal violence linked to racism. The programme supports Human Rights since racism and other forms of discrimination question people’s humanity and rights on a daily basis. It is an issue that has been talked about a lot this year- not because it was not an issue before but because more and more people make their voices heard and demand change. This project attempts to support long-term change that transcends the field of sport.

COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 

The project is a social street football competition organised locally in ten cities from eight European countries, where the participating teams can win more points through Fair-Play, Fair Support and Volunteering in community activities than by winning their Street Football matches. Children from different backgrounds get to know and respect each other because different schools compete against each other. Furthermore, the international tournament gives them the opportunity to meet other European children and play football with them.