Did we live up to vision of equal rights, asks President Ram Nath Kovind

New Delhi : President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday flagged the recent incidents of violence against women in the country, saying such heinous crimes force people to think whether society has lived up to the cherished universal vision of equal rights for all.

In his address at an NHRC function at Vigyan Bhawan here to mark Human Rights Day, he said the ideal way to commemorate the occasion will be for the whole world to "introspect" what more needs to be done to live up in letter and spirit to the "sacred text" of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10 to commemorate the UDHR, which was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 as the shared standard yardstick to protect human rights across the globe.

In his address, Kovind alluded to recent cases of violence against women in various parts of the country, which have triggered shock and protests from citizens, demanding that authorities ensure safety of women in public places.

The President also recalled the contribution of Indian reformer and educator Hansa Jivraj Mehta in shaping the landmark document on UDHR and ensuring it contains a more gender sensitive language.

She is widely credited with making a significant change in the wording of Article 1 of the UDHR, by replacing the phrase "All men are born free and equal" to "All human beings are born free and equal."

"In the draft of the UDHR, it mentioned, 'all men...', and Hansa Mehta insisted that it be changed to 'all humans...' making it universal. Today, we owe it to her," Kovind said, asserting that the country also celebrated 70th anniversary of the adoption of Indian Constitution in November.

The President said more needed to be done to commemorate visionary leaders like Mehta who championed human rights and gender equality. "We can make a beginning by asking ourselves if we have lived up to her vision of equal rights and equal dignity.

Unfortunately, a series of of events in the recent past force us to think again, and incidents of heinous crimes against women are reported from many reports of the country," he said. He said such incidents are happening "not just limited to one place or one nation".