World Minority Rights Day

Tags: Important Days

International Minority Rights Day is celebrated every year on 18 December across the world.

Important facts

• The purpose of this day is to maintain the right to freedom and equality for minorities and to create awareness about the respect of minorities.

• The day focuses on the challenges and issues faced by minority communities of different ethnic origins.

• The government on this day ensures efforts to guarantee their rights of non-discrimination and equality.

• The theme of 2022 is "All in 4 Minority Rights".

• In India, this day is organised by the National Commission for Minorities.

• The National Commission for Minorities was established in the year 1992 by the Central Government under the National Commission for Minorities Act.

Background of the day

• The United Nations on December 18, 1992, adopted and broadcast the Statement on the individual's Rights belonging to Religious or Linguistic National or Ethnic Minorities.

Who are Minorities?

• According to the definition of the United Nations, a community that does not have any influence socially, economically and politically and whose population is negligible, will be called a minority.

• The word 'minority' has been used in Articles 29, 30, 350A and 350B of the Indian Constitution but its definition has not been given.

• In India, minority applies to Muslim, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist, Parsis (Zoroastrian) and Jain religions.