The carnage and bloodshed, which continue globally in a massive scale, inflict indescribable pain and sufferings upon nations. The flagrant violation of human rights and dignity is not necessarily the result of extremism and dogmatic mindsets of religious fundamentalists but also the violent practices of states which show no respect to international instruments.
For instance, religious fundamentalists stoke sectarian violence and kill people on the grounds of their race, color and creed. Lacking tolerance, claiming religious superiority and acting upon ideological dogma, they massacre men, women and children in cold blood and humiliate them in the worst possible way. Since warring parties – which are constituted of ideologues and mercenaries fighters – value neither religious nor international rules, will continue their violent acts of horror and terror without an iota of mercy. In brief, their radical ideology and warped minds are the main reason behind their practices.
However, a number of states are involved in deadly battles and violate human rights in the worst possible way despite approving the charter of the United Nation or Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Political conflicts and interests are more likely to prompt states to trample upon human rights and dignity.
Reports are replete with tragic scenes and human casualties taken place around the human societies. To view the recent reports of the UN about human rights, one’s senses will go numb regarding the tragedies and high graph of human fatalities. According to a report released by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 1,662 civilians were killed and more than 3,500 wounded with deaths in the capital Kabul accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the toll in the first half of 2017. The majority of the victims were killed by anti-government forces, including the resurgent Taliban and in attacks claimed by self-styled Islamic State (IS) group, the report said. The UN’s special envoy to Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto said the human cost of the conflict remains “far too high”. The ground offensives by Afghan security forces are the second leading cause of civilian casualties, though UNAMA said there had been a 10 per cent decrease compared to the same period in 2016.
To view the UN’s report about Yemen, at least 20 civilians were killed in a Saudi-led coalition air attack in its southwest. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was “deeply shocked and saddened at reports of the deaths and injuries of a number of internally displaced persons in an aerial attack” on the area.  The UN says that with the start of the Saudi-led coalition’s attack, the conflict has killed more than 10,000 people, forced millions from their homes, damaged infrastructure and pushed the country to the brink of famine.
Human rights violation has turned widespread in Myanmar, where officials seek to prevent the UN investigators as Myanmar declined to grant visas to three UN-appointed experts who would probe allegations of abuse against the minority group by the armed forces. Human Rights Watch warned that Myanmar’s government risked getting bracketed with “pariah states” like North Korea and Syria if it did not allow the UN to investigate alleged crimes.
The north of Myanmar’s Rakhine state has been under lockdown since October, when the military launched a security operation in response to what it claims was an attack by Rohingya armed men on border posts, in which nine police officers were killed. The UN has estimated more than 90,000 Rohingya Muslims to be forced to flee their homes since the start of the crackdown. A UN report in February said the campaign against the Rohingya, who were stripped of their citizenship in 1982, “very likely” amounted to war crimes.
The three reports released recently by the UN reflect widespread violation of human rights and day-to-day practices of violence and bloodshed either by warring parties or states. Such reports make headlines on national and international newspapers. However, the gut-wrenching stories of human catastrophes and tragic scenes will hardly provoke a sense of public empathy for being repeated every day. These incidents might be followed by a word of condemnation but will never heal the bleeding wounds of victims.
Regardless of religious and moral obligations, we are more likely to be alienated from our humanity. Indeed, when I am not moved with the blood oozing from the sliced throats of my brothers and sisters, my humanity will be under question. I wonder which human rights the world is debating about! The rights and dignity of mankind are trampled under the boots of soldiers and barrel of militants’ guns, but the world claims to have approved international instruments, mainly the UDHR! It is hoped that the international community will take practical step in alleviating the pain and sufferings of human societies.