Discrimination is rife in society as a blatant evil that highlights the underlying malfunction in our understanding of people. As humans, we are divided into different categories based on gender identity, race, class, sexual orientation, gender, occupation, income, disability, etc.
In order to fight against the mentality that leads to problems, cases of violence or general violence, Discrimination Day is observed every year on March 1. The day was first launched by Michel Sidibe, director of UNAIDS, in December 2013. The following year on March. On January 1, 2014, Zero Discrimination Day was celebrated for the first time. UNAIDS has been at the forefront of meeting people living with HIV/AIDS who are discriminated against because of their condition.
In India, this day supported the movement of the LGBTQIA+ community in India to repeal Section 377, which criminalizes homosexuality in the country. The law was eventually repealed in September 2018. Such cases had happened before, however, when March 1 was not a day but a platform for people from different communities to raise their voices against discrimination.
This year’s theme for Zero Discrimination Day is ‘Remove Laws That Harm, Create Laws That Empower’. The theme represents the ardent need to fight and take action against the myriad discriminatory laws in multiple countries that lead to people being treated differently. While some laws harm the sanctity of human rights, some seem to paralyze basic freedom in society.
The official symbol representing Zero Discrimination Day is a butterfly that is widely shared on various social media platforms along with the movement it supports. Zero Discrimination Day is fueling movements against laws that make people choose and accountable for who they are, where they come from, what they do or love, and bring together like-minded, arbitrary mindsets to trump discrimination.
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