It is a reflective time to review our score card since we agreed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a nation 64 years ago. Hot human rights topics include refugees arriving in Australia, the welfare of indigenous Australians and very prevalent is the issue of bullying in particular cyber-bullying.

In 1948 the United Nations said that the Universal Declaration should be broadly educated and adopted across all the nations of the world. Clearly more work needs to be done to make human rights real for all.

But if we want human rights to improve nationally, then we have to start in the home and in our schools. Ignorance of human rights means they can be abused and denied. Education is a powerful weapon against discrimination and abuse parents talking about human rights with their children, friends to their mates, in the work place and so on.

Knowing our human rights and, very importantly, granting and defending the rights of others will see a change.

The theme of Human Rights Day 2012 is "My voice counts". It features human rights 19 the right to freedom of opinion and expression, 20 the right to peaceful public assembly, and 21 the right to take part in government.

I encourage everyone to do something for human rights to mark international Human Rights Day.

Log on to www.youthforhumanrights.org and watch the videos covering each of the 30 human rights and share them with someone else to read and learn. Do what you can to spread the word.

With more than 180 chapters globally, the purpose of Youth for Human Rights is to teach youth around the world about human rights, specifically the 30 articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights so that with increased understanding, it can make human rights a reality.

Elana Saks

Youth for Human Rights Australia