The Essentials That Hold Humanity Together

Human Rights Day 2025 highlights how rights like safety, dignity, housing, and freedom remain our everyday essentials.

The theme for Human Rights Day 2025 (December 10) is “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”, focusing on how fundamental rights like housing, food, water, and peace are vital, often unnoticed, aspects of daily life, aiming to reconnect people with these principles amidst global uncertainty.

The campaign theme is to emphasise that human rights are positive, essential and attainable (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Our Everyday Essentials Human Rights Day 2025

Go to source

Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials

Given the uncertainty that prevails all over the world, Human Rights Day reminds us as a people that human rights are not just ideals but the most potent anchor of humankind!

The campaign theme is to emphasise that human rights are positive, essential and attainable.

Human Rights are POSITIVE

Human rights are not just for protection; they also bring joy, happiness and security into our daily lives.

Human Rights are ESSENTIAL

In an uncertain world, human rights remain the essential foundation that unites us and anchors our freedom, safety, and voice.

Human Rights are ATTAINABLE

From daily choices to united movements that are attainable, human rights thrive when individuals and communities stand together for dignity and equality.

Human Rights Around the World

A research team at the University of Rhode Island used a massive quantitative dataset to grade human rights practices in every country in the world (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Most of the world’s countries receive failing grade in global ‘human rights report card’

Go to source

).

The Highest Scorers: Who Comes Out on Top?

According to the report, Finland ranks highest in the human rights list of the world with a score of 98 (grade A), followed by Australia, Estonia, Sweden, and Austria, which were rated highly at A-. These countries have been unremitting in securing personal rights, ensuring fair justice and promoting open civic participation.

Regional stars include:

• Canada: Highest in the Americas with a score of 88 (B)
• Taiwan: Leads Asia with 78 (C+)
• Cabo Verde: Highest in Africa with 84 (B)

These nations demonstrate that strong protections and democratic governance translate into better everyday rights for people.

Where Does the U.S. Stand? A Complex Picture

The United States received a score of 64 (grade D), ranking 59th globally. While this may seem low for a wealthy nation, researchers say it’s not surprising:

• Wealth boosts the score
• Large population size brings it down

The U.S. does not qualify as a full-blown democracy anymore, as it was recently downgraded to an anocracy, the continuum between democracy and autocracy. This political uncertainty and unstable rights protection across the states are part of its mediocre performance.

India’s Human Rights Scorecard

Human rights performance in India is a case of a mixed story, whereby some areas have good results, and others have evident issues concerning civil freedoms. As the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI):

• India has a quality of life score of 70.8%, which indicates that, in relation to its income level, it offers a reasonable level of rights like work, housing, food, health care, and education.
• Health (85%) and Education (75.9%) perform comparatively better.
• Food (61%) and work rights (57.7%) lag behind.
• India receives a score of 4.7 out of 10 for safety from the state, indicating that many people are still at risk of being arbitrarily arrested, tortured, or mistreated.
• Forced disappearance and extrajudicial execution scores show moderate concern.
• India scores 3.6/10 on empowerment rights, indicating substantial gaps in freedoms such as speech, assembly, expression, religion, and political participation

Simply put, India is quite successful in guaranteeing basic needs, yet fails regarding the protection of the freedoms and safety of its people against the activities of the state. Despite the improvements made in certain sectors, there is much to do before everyone will become more empowered in terms of civil and political rights (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
India at a glance

Go to source

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India will observe Human Rights Day on 10th December 2025 at 10 a.m. in Auditorium 1, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The Honourable President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will be the chief guest of the event (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
NHRC, India to organise a function to commemorate Human Rights Day at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 10th December 2025

Go to source).

The Lowest Scorers: Where Human Rights Are in Crisis

At the bottom of the list are countries facing severe conflict, authoritarian rule, or humanitarian crises:

• Iran (0, F)
• Syria (6, F)
• Yemen (8, F)
• Venezuela (12, F)
• Egypt (14, F)

Such low scores are indicative of broad problems like political oppression, restriction of free expression, insecure environments, and weak legal systems. In the case of the civilians, it usually involves limited liberties, danger to life, and scarcity of solutions to injustices.

What Affects a Country’s Human Rights Score?

Researchers identified clear trends that shape human rights outcomes across nations:

1. Democracies Score Higher
Countries with strong democratic systems score 24–27 points higher than autocracies. There is more to do in terms of the protection of rights, as access to fair elections, accountable leadership, and free expression makes people keep their governments accountable.

2. Smaller Countries Tend to Do Better
Smaller countries are rated 30-35 points higher than very large countries. Smaller systems can be easily handled, and rights can be more readily safeguarded; laws can be enforced, and transparency can be maintained.

3. Wealth Matters
Richer countries have higher scores than poorer ones, which are 34-40 points higher. Wealth allows one to invest in education, legal institutions, public health and social services, which facilitate better human rights environments.

A Call to Strengthen Rights Everywhere

The worldwide results lead to only one conclusion: human rights flourish in the context of a strong democracy, governing populations that are easy to handle, and economic stability promotes social order. Although there are countries that serve as examples, there are also those that are immersed in great hardships, which must be addressed and assisted worldwide.

The report is a reminder that the protection of human rights is not only associated with legislation but also with creating societies where all people feel safe, heard, and appreciated.

References:

1. 1.Our Everyday Essentials Human Rights Day 2025 – (https://www.ohchr.org/en/get-involved/campaign/everyday-essentials)
2. Most of the world’s countries receive failing grade in global ‘human rights report card’ – (https://www.uri.edu/news/2023/12/most-of-the-worlds-countries-receive-failing-grade-in-global-human-rights-report-card/)
3. India at a glance – (https://rightstracker.org/country/IND)
4. Press release- National Human Rights Commission – (https://nhrc.nic.in/media/press-release/nhrc,-india-to-organise-a-function-to-commemorate-human-rights-day-at-bharat-mandapam,-new-delhi-on-10th-december-2025)

Source-Medindia