JEROEN SCHOKKENBROEK

ESTEBAN BELTRÁN VERDES
What we have called “demonization policy” poses a serious challange, possibly an existential threat to the whole project of human rights, as cooperation and international norms lose support and increasingly more governments openly express themselves as hostile to human rights, often with the support of public opinion. Demonization speeches are increasingly more evident, more extended and more popular. Certain conditions exist that are systematically taken advantage of to promote demonization policies. Inequality is increasing in many parts of the world, as is the perception of cultural displacement, and politicians take advantage of this sitaution making use of simplified discourse that identify scapegoats to blame for causing a popular sensation of discontent, often migrant people or other minorities. Hate and fear have passed from being rhetoric to being reality, as many governments have attempted to apply policies that standardise large-scale discrimination of minorities and marginalised groups. With few leaders prepared to stand in defense of human rights in the world scenario, governments are removing without any shame guarantees of human rights protections which has taken a lot of effort to obtain. Faced with this situation, people are mobilising because governments do not satisfy their basic needs, especially in matters of housing, work and economic rights. The alarming increase in inequality is creating an ideal climate for the exacerbation of the social division, resulting in an increased risk of human rights violations. By denying these human rights, governments are provoking the most absolute desperation. The enormous social and economic difficulties, such as austerity, physical abuse and the lack of government solutions to these problems, could provoke a human rights disaster that would affect millions of people. An example of this is that, in Europe, citizens took to the street to protest against the harmful effects of the austerity measures in Spain, Greece, UK and Serbia. Research carried out in England listed around 120,000 deaths from the cuts in health care and social services During 2017 there were considerable cuts in public spending in Indonesia, Mongolia and Sri Lanka. As we approach the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 2018, the challenge facing us is obvious. The time has come to recover the essential idea of the equality and dignity of all persons, of appreciating these values and demanding that they become the basis of policy formulation and its application. Governments must give priority to human rights both nationally and internationally. With outstanding leaders attempting to undermine fundamental liberties, and war crimes against humanity ignored, the lack of leadership on matters of human rights on a global scale has had dangerous consequences. Raising your voice has become increasingly more dangerous, and governments must invert this tendency if we want to protect our valued right to freedom of expression. Attacks against the mass media have reached unprecedented extremes, as has happened with attacks against human rights activists. Societies can only flourish if they are prepared to scrutinise those in power, rather than refraining from doing so.