Whilst the rest of the World has a United Nations' International Human Rights' Day in December, South Africa's is commemorated on the 21st March being the anniversary of the Sharpeville riots which led to the death of a number of protestors and recalls sacrifices made by many in the lead-up to the 1994 elections which gave rise to the change of government in South Africa.
Our human rights are codified in the Constitution of South Africa which you can find here :
https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/constitution-republic-south-africa-1996-04-feb-199
as well as the Bill of Rights which forms part of the Constitution and can be found here :
https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-2-bill-rights
The two documents embody rights and freedoms granted and accorded every individual giving them the right to life, equality before the law and freedom and security of person. It also entrenches the rights of children not to be manipulated by one parent at the expense of the other and to be entitled to the protection of our courts.
Many of these rights are in practise abused in South Africa and riots and violence as we have experienced often deprive their victims of their rights, and one of the major challenges affecting South Africa is to actually live up to the promise of rights and freedoms as set out in our constitutional documents.
The real challenge for Human Rights' Day is therefore not simply to commemorate the past, but to commit to the enforcement of our rights in the country.