If one of the above bothers you to consider a person as your brother or sister, you may have experienced the feelings of hatred or intolerance against such a person and finally reject or discriminate these people in many circumstances. You may also agree with the law enforcement or the powerful people to discriminate others.

To understand these ill feelings, ill treatment and change your perception toward life and became an instrument to build peaceful society, equip yourself with knowledge and learn to respect and be respected.

The essential values for life are DIGNITY AND FREEDOM. Each one will fulfill these values only when we are RESPECTED and at the same time RESPECT others.

Psychological Point of View:

• Every human being needs to feel respected, and especially the least 'powerful'.
• Like communication, respect is something that nurtures us and enhances human bonds. If we don't get it, we 'die' or wither inside.
• On the other hand, not respecting others in our interaction or dealing with them creates anger and resentment that will build up over time.

Religious Point of View:

You must not oppress the stranger; you know how a stranger feels, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 23:9)

Do I want the death of the sinner? - word of Yahweh.
Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live? (Ezek. 18:23)

Human Rights Point of View:

The preamble to the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948 states that 'disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind' and that the 'recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.'

'Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status.'

Therefore, human rights, by virtue of their very nature, are possessed by all in equal measure. Whatever our social, economic, cultural or political status, whatever the conditions in which we live, we are, in principle at least, entitled to the same basic rights and freedoms. The idea of equality and non-discrimination is a fundamental, underlying principle of human rights.

'Discrimination' is defined in Article 1(1) of the International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to mean 'any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference' on grounds of race, which 'has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing of human rights and fundamental freedoms'. The Convention makes clear that it addresses discrimination not only in the political and economic arenas but also in the 'social, cultural or any other field of public life'.

FEAR - is the prison of heart (anonymous)

In Asia / Pacific countries, many times fear comes with wrong information or misguided conclusions that lead to misunderstanding, therefore, we may fear...

• that immigrants will take our share of food, health care, education;
• that tribal people will destroy our forest or pollute our water sources;
• that we will lose power if we support minority over majority;
• that we will lose sources of donation if other believe in the religion other than ours;
• that we will lose power to control others if they become more clever;
• that women will have freedom or autonomy;
• to change;
• to listen to others' ideas or comments;
• to accept that sometimes we are wrong and refuse to correct our wrong;
• to share wealth;
• to use negotiation skills rather than physical strength;
• to give freedom and dignity to others, etc...

Because of fear, we do not want others to belong to our family, our community, our village, our town, our province, our region, our nation or our world!. We choose to discriminate them directly or indirectly. According to the Amnesty International reports in 2002 and the other sources, here are some of the discrimination acts around Asia-Pacific:

FEAR - is erased by knowledge. 'When the situation becomes predictable, the fear diminishes'.

You may not know that all of us, yourself and others, have rights. These rights, if respected, will lead us to a just and peaceful society. If our rights are respected, our dignity and freedom will be fulfilled, our lives will surely be protected and we all will live in peace and harmony, not violence and war.

Dignity and freedom can be measured through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Bill of Human Rights, and the International Human Rights Treaties of the United Nations:

1. International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
3. International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
4. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)
5. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
6. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
7. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (MWC)

In all these Conventions your rights and others rights that need to be respected are for example:

• right to life, liberty and security of person;
• right against slavery or servitude;
• right against torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment;
• right to freedom of thought, conscience or religion, and to change one's religion or belief;
• right to freedom of opinion and expression;
• right to equal access to public service;
• right to food;
• right to education;
• right to development;
• housing rights;
• right of migrant;
• right to fair, safe working conditions;
• right to seek and choose work;
• right to form, join and act in trade union;
• right to social security;
• right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and one's family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood;
• right to participate in the cultural life of the community;
• right to benefit from scientific progress, etc......

RESPECT - what do you mean?

To respect the rights of another person is to value that person's humanity rather than personality. Respecting human rights involves:

'a conscious effort to find our common essence beyond our apparent division, our temporary differences, our ideological and cultural barriers.' (Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Secretary-General, in opening the World Conference on Human Rights 1993)

RESPECT - a basic pillar of character

What it means to respect someone?

• not to fear someone
• to take someone's feelings, needs, thoughts, ideas, wishes, and preferences into consideration
• taking all of these seriously and giving them worth and value

'Respect focuses on the moral obligation to honour the essential worth and dignity of the individual. Respect prohibits violence, humiliation, manipulation and exploitation. It reflects notions such as civility, courtesy, dignity, tolerance and acceptance.' (The Six pillars of Character, the Josephson Institute of Ethics)

How to respect others?

Respecting others means displaying regard for the worth of people. We may not hold others in high esteem or admire them, but we should try to treat them with respect, regardless of who they are and what they have done.

Always remember that each person in the world has a valuable role to fulfill, whether we agree with their way of doing it or not. If their way of living interferes with the way we view the world, we must negotiate reasonable ways to work with them or find a different space to occupy, not condemn them for being who they are.

• Learn to be an attentive listener
• Learn to be free from judgment
• Learn to accept that everyone has a right to exist in their own way
• Tell yourself you have a responsibility to be the best you can be in all situations, even when dealing with unpleasant people.

When we are respected we gain the voluntary cooperation of people. We don't have to use as much of our energy and resources trying to get our needs met. When people respect one another there are fewer conflicts.

Since the end of the Cold War, there has been a steady increase in social, religious and cultural conflicts. Too many have quickly turned into full-scale armed conflicts; too many fundamental human rights have come under direct assault, too many lives have been lost.

Intolerance is on the increase everywhere. As a result, the UNESCO created A Global quest for Tolerance on the occasion of the '1995 United Nations Year for Tolerance'

'Personal virtue is increasingly viewed as a political and legal requirement for peaceful co-existence'

'Tolerance is also the foundation of democracy and human rights. Intolerance in multi-ethnic, multi-religious or multicultural societies leads to violations of human rights, violence or armed conflict.'

Tolerance has always been considered a moral virtue:

• the appreciation of diversity
• the ability to live and let others live
• the ability to adhere to one's convictions while accepting that others adhere to theirs
• the ability to enjoy one's rights and freedoms without infringing on those of others

How can Intolerance be Countered? Fighting tolerance requires:

• law
• education
• access to information
• individual awareness (policy-makers and the public)
• local solutions

• Circle of Rights - Economic, Social & Cultural Rights Activism: A Training Resource, International Human Rights Internship Program & Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, 2000.
• Striking a Balance: Hate Speech, Freedom of Expression and Non-discrimination, Article 19, International Centre Against Censorship, University of Essex, 1992.
• The Human Rights Handbook - A Practical Guide to Monitoring Human Rights, Kathryn English & Adam Stapleton, Human Rights Center, University of Essex, 1995.
• UNESCO - Tolerance Program
• UTUSAN Konsumer, Malaysia, July 2001 & May 2002.

Contact us for Chinese Version