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As the European Union heads to the polls in a few weeks, and with other key elections on the horizon elsewhere in the world, let’s talk about how we use our votes.
Now, naturally, I’m not going to endorse individual candidates or political parties. That’s not something Human Rights Watch does.
What we do before elections is ask voters to look at some key issues with a human rights lens. For the upcoming European Parliament elections we’ve produced a guide for voters on ten different issues facing Europe today.
To this guide, I would add two points of my own.
First, beware of politicians who blame vulnerable groups for your problems. You can usually spot them easily enough: they’re the ones not talking about making your life better but about making someone else’s life worse.
Their target may be refugees or a religious group or an ethnic group or trans folks. But whoever the vulnerable minority is, the message is basically the same: you’re supposed to believe that denying these people their rights will somehow help you and your family. It won’t, of course. Don’t buy it.
Second, maybe think a bit more long-term when you vote. This can help you see the value of universal human rights. Let me explain with a bit of personal history.
I look back just four generations, and I see my 16 great great-grandparents. All of them spoke a mother tongue different to mine. All of them had religious beliefs different from mine. They were all born in countries different from where I was born.
Now, if you have kids or plan to, think about your descendants, a few generations down the line. You don’t know what they'll look like, what language they’ll speak, what religion they’ll follow, who they’ll marry, where they’ll live and work… Things change, and you have no idea where they’re going to end up.
If you vote for politicians who aim to punish one group in society, and they then make laws to do just that, you may ultimately be putting your own grandchildren at risk.
Taking the long view with your family in mind, it makes sense for you to get behind universal human rights – rights for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and so on.
It’s in your own self-interest to vote for politicians and parties that are more likely to support universal human rights. It’s the best bet for the people who come after you.
Oh, and one last thing: remember, the people who come after you will also need a habitable planet to live on.
