MY TIME AS AN ENGLISHMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA:

The preservation of human rights has always been important to me, fighting for justice so that every human can live the life they deserve. However, did I truly understand the problems of the world?

Growing up in the UK, I have lived a very sheltered life away from crime, homelessness, and countless other injustices. I know that if I walk down the street, I have no fear of attack or persecution. I know that no matter my financial status, my children will receive a comprehensive education up to the age of 18. I know if I lose my house, I will receive adequate housing and enough benefits to support myself and my family. These are things I take for granted; the security that no matter what happens, my human rights will be upheld.

I am aware that the UK is far from perfect, with many falling through the cracks and I understand more needs to be done. Yet, this minority in the UK causes many to not give a second thought to human rights violations- we just don’t see them day-to-day. Yet, since being in South Africa, I have seen injustice from the moment I landed in Cape Town, driving past miles of severely inadequate housing and extreme poverty. Since being here, I quickly saw this was the tip of the iceberg, learning of widespread GBV, Xenophobia, Child Abuse, and Ableism, to name a few. I finally understood why human rights were so important. If more was done to ensure our 30 human rights were upheld, these issues would not occur.

So, I understand why the fight is so important. I want to ensure that the country you are born into doesn’t mean you have to endure daily violations, I don’t want a 13-hour flight to determine if you’ll receive a free quality education or somewhere safe to sleep at night.

Yet, we just can’t put a band-aid over this gaping wound. Since working at The Justice Desk, I know that me donating to feed a starving child or to build a well is NOT the way to uphold human rights. I do believe charity is important and serves a purpose in society, but advocacy is what leads to justice. I can conclude that at the start of my time in South Africa as an Englishman, I was na?ve, but now I know that empowering everyday people to understand their human rights leads to systemic change and therefore justice.

- The Justice Desk intern, Freddie Pembroke