It is the state’s responsibility to ensure protection on the level of institutions, while the actual enforcement of human rights is everybody’s task. We should point it out that the protection of human rights is not a completed task but a continuous and active endeavour, to which all of us should contribute. Day by day, new challenges and questions emerge, which require legal and social responses. Technological development, along with the violations of rights in the digital space are questions which both society and the legal system should respond to. 

Even though everything changes continuously, the fundamental principles of human rights remain the same. From the family table, through the workplace, to the school desk, in public spaces and in the online world, we have the same common responsibility, which is to create an environment where dignity is a basis rather than a privilege. A basis on which our most important “everyday laws”, i.e., thoughtfulness, respect, empathy and solidarity should rest. The protection of human rights is not only a legal or political question but a moral and social principle, which serves as the basis for democratic societies.

On 10 December, we do not only celebrate but we also make a promise: a promise to continue safeguarding our common values, our fundamental rights, to support those who need protection, and to build a society where the dignity of each person is inviolable.