December 10 marks the 20th Anniversary of the establishment for the mandate of the UN HighCommissioner for Human Rights.

Caribbean Development Activists & Women’s Network in partnership with Quality of CitizenshipJamaica, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition and Jamaicans for Justice is organizing a stand on human rights day with other NGOs, youth leaders, students, and interested persons.The aim of the stand is to call for the improvement of ALL areas of human rights including,social, economic, civil, political, environmental, sexual and cultural rights.

The 2011 Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee, reports of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, plus local civil society organizations have noted that many citizens of Jamaica are not guaranteed respect, dignity and equality and inalienable rights as human beings. We note the following:

•  the under-representation of women in decision-making positions in the public and private sectors;
•  stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDs;
•  the high prevalence…