GLOBAL Dignity Day is celebrated to make everyone realise that each citizen living in this world has their rights and deserves respect. Dignity means the state or quality of being worthy of honour and respect, or human rights. Some examples of dignity are dignity of labour and dignity of education, etc.

Dignity day is celebrated throughout the world since 2006. Three friends — Professor Peekka Himanen from Finland, Founder of Operation Hope John Hope Bryant from United States, and HRH Crown Prince Haakon from Norway — first thought about this day when they met as Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum in 2006. This led to the first Global Dignity Day being observed on October 20, 2008.

This Global Dignity movement has grown in this short time and while last year, in 2013, 50 countries celebrated this day and this year more than 70 countries have celebrated this day on October 15.

Global Dignity Day is celebrated to make people realise their rights, which really means human rights — the right to do anything people want as they are born free and they cannot be forced for anything. They have the freedom to exercise their rights and even fight for it.

The symbol of Global Dignity, the force behind the observance of this day, is two hearts attached to each other. It also symbolises that everyone is equal in this world and that everyone has equal rights.

There are five principles of dignity: every human being has a right to lead a dignified life; a dignified life means an opportunity to fulfil one’s potential, which is based on having a human level of health care, education, income and security; dignity means having the freedom to make decisions on one’s life and to be met with respect for this right; dignity should be the basic guiding principle for all actions; and ultimately, our own dignity is interdependent with the dignity of others.

In my opinion, every citizen in this world should celebrate this day to make themselves and others realise their rights and those of others. So give respect to the rights and freedom of others and get respect from others. Every person, no matter which economic class they belong to, deserves respect if they are doing honest work.

So my dear readers and friends, I would like to request you to be respectful towards everyone, even if they are your maid, driver, cleaner or watchman or the junior staff of the school. They are humans like us and have as much rights as citizens of this world as we do; they deserve all the facilities of health, education, security and income as we and others do.