Message from Arid on International Human Rights Day |10 December 2025

Arid calls on government to promote, protect everyone’s rights

 The International Human Rights Day is an annual commemoration dedicated to the promotion of the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. The theme for this year is ‘Our Everyday Essentials’.

To commemorate the day, the Association for Rights, Information and Democracy (Arid) is calling on the government to promote and protect the rights of everyone in our country. Arid is concerned with the ongoing abuse of migrant workers in our country.

The violation includes; delayed salaries, inhumane and unsafe living conditions and even psychological and physical abuse. In some cases, the employers are protected by some senior officials from the employment ministry.

From January this year, Arid has recorded over 20 complaints relating to human rights violations, mostly from migrant workers and abuse of power by the police. Human rights are essentially a set of principles concerning equality and justice for all.

By definition, they are rights that are granted to us by virtue of the fact that we are human beings. The baseline for human rights is laid out in the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” There is a need for the Seychelles Human Rights Commission to be more proactive, to put in place responsive mechanisms and strengthen the existing systems, to enhance accountability and transparency for both citizens as rights-holders and the state as duty-bearer of all rights.

Arid condemns all forms of human rights abuse happening in our country, let us all stand together for ‘human rights’. 

Press release from Arid