“We all need to treat each other with
human dignity and respect” – Madonna Ciccone
As some point or the other we each fail, either by omission or commission, to treat someone (a neighbor, somebody beside us, someone we live with or someone we meet) with dignity and respect. Yet, it is never excusable especially when we act with obstinacy and insensitivity. Someone wrote: “Treating other people with dignity means treating them the way we’d like to be treated ourselves” (FamilyEducation). This golden rule, with all its simplicity, makes the entire difference we desire to see around us if we each keep to it in our relations and dealings with others.
Dignity Vs External Honours and Accolades
Does a person’s dignity come from the titles, honours and accolades that he or she has acquired? Titles, honours, accolades are empty if they do not translate into more selfless service. Nothing replaces the dignity of honest service.
Aristotle would say, “Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.” Unfortunately, in our society today, it is not just about service. Persons with ill-gotten wealth are acclaimed and revered. Persons who are tyrants and wife-beaters at home are in government positions. Persons who perpetuate various forms of crime and embezzle funds meant for development of the community, are seen as people who ‘have made it.’
So too, a woman’s dignity does not come from the titles that her husband may have. She is not only the governors’ wife, the president’s wife, the chairman’s wife, the boss’s wife. She, in her own right, can become the governor, the president, the chairperson or the boss.
“Human rights rest on human dignity. The dignity of man or woman is an ideal worth fighting for and worth dying for.” – Robert C. Maynard
Education and Culture that does not Promote Human Dignity
Have you given any thought to the place of education and culture in the promotion of human dignity? This could be a topic by itself for an entire thesis or book. However, we wish to point out here that our educational system and the some of our old and new ways of living do not necessarily contribute to promoting the dignity of a person. A few pertinent examples may suffice.
Within the Educational System
Sex for Marks/Marks for Sex: This has become very rampant and something of a norm within our educational system. It is a practice that strips the individual of her/his dignity. Both the perpetuator and the victim accept a lowering of their sense of self and worth. Everything within our power must be done to end such menace being perpetuated against students who come into the institution to learn and prepare themselves for their future. And those students who thrive in this practice and propagate it by example and influence are most ignorant of self-worth and self-dignity and need to be corrected alike.
Getting educated and becoming learned is meant to help people grow, improve, build their capacity, build character and help them stand tall to face the demands and challenges that come in life. Rather, a practice as described above only leaves you hiding your tail in shame and deceit, even when you think others do not know what you are doing. With Sex for Marks, you do a great damage to your own dignity and to the other person’s sense of self-respect.
Old and New Culture
RAPE: Merriam Webster dictionary defines rape as an: “unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against a person’s will or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception”.
It has also been defined by Dictionary.com as: “…any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim”.
With all the excuses perpetuators give for this act, including within marriage (where it also happens), these definitions clearly show the utter disregard for the dignity of the human person. Yet, we see this happening everyday around us. Women and children are mostly in danger of this criminal act. When this happens, it most not be kept silent or condoned. Call for help and reach out. If you have never experienced rape, you are not better than someone who has been raped. This is the reason why stigmatizing a rape survivor will do you or our society no good.
Rape survivors need our support, they need to be listened to, helped, protected and safeguarded from future reoccurrence. And perpetuators of rape need to face the law, be punished and be kept away from the family, community and the society because they destroy lives and steal the dignity of a person.
Domestic and/or Sexual Abuse of Children: A parent consistently beats up a child like the child is an animal. The child is treated differently from the other children and referred to as an evil child. The child is made to live in inhumane conditions in addition to poverty and hunger. This child is being stripped of her/his dignity and self-esteem.
A child is sexually abused by her/his father, uncle, stepfather, neighbor, mother’s boy-friend, sister, aunty, teacher, sibling, or class/schoolmate. We are seeing and hearing a lot of such cases. How is this child supposed to grow and have high self-esteem if she/he has been stripped of dignity in this way? How is this child supposed to grow with confidence and self-belief in dealing with life’s issues and pursue his or her goals? Every child needs our love and protection. Our choices bring them to this world. They do not ask to come. Parents therefore need to be attentive to bring to the world the number of children they can adequately cater for.
Female Genital Mutilation: Some culture demands that a woman’s clitoris be cut or removed to keep her tamed. World Health Organization (WHO, 2020) says: “The practice has no health benefits for girls and women. …can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. …FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women”. So, why would such practice continue?
“We lose dignity if we tolerate the intolerable.” – Dominique de Menil
Child Marriage: This is when a girl or boy is married before the age of 18. This violates the child’s right and exposes the child to undignified consequences such as exposure to violence, unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and other damaging effects on their education, health and sustenance (Plan International). This happens more to girls and it is an effect of valuing girls less than boys. She is used to offset debts, settle conflicts, and to get dowry. The call is to law makers to end child\early marriage and protect women and girls everywhere (GlobalCitizen).
Gilbert K. Chesterton said: “When people begin to ignore human dignity, it will not be long before they begin to ignore human rights”.
The above are all issues of gender inequality and female disempowerment that strips mostly women and the girl-child of their human dignity.
Other ways in which a person’s human dignity can be violated include: domestic violence, torture, social exclusion, labor exploitation, bonded labor, poverty, slavery and social injustice.
“Human dignity is more precious than prestige.” – Claude McKay
Ways in Which a Person’s Dignity Can Be Respected
It is important to treat people with courtesy and kindness. Sometimes we are full of ourselves and our own concerns that we forget to pay attention to others. We need to value and respect others for who they are, what they believe and how they choose to live their lives and expect no less for yourself. Hence, various writers have shared some practical ways in which we can respect the dignity of others. These include:
- Letting others choose what they want to put on
- Involving them in decisions relating to their care.
- Respecting their rights.
- Listening and taking into consideration what they say.
- Respecting their wishes and decisions, even if one disagrees.
- Addressing others respectfully.
- Making food look and taste nice.
- Respecting personal space and possessions.
- Handle hygiene activities sensitively.
- Treating others with respect and being treated with respect
“Dignity is one of the most important things to the human spirit. … Only with dignity are people able to achieve things like being good in school, finding friends, leading a happy life, and maybe even making a difference in the world. Having dignity means being treated with respect AND treating others with respect” (www.familyeducation.com).
Together We Can… Safeguard Everyone’s Rights and Dignity
So what YOU DO… as an Individual Matters!
(The End)
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