Human dignity is the foundation for all of the principles of Catholic social teaching. Without the dignity of the human person the other principles fall apart. The idea that all humans have a God given dignity stems from Genesis, and the story of creation. In Genesis 1:24, God says: “Let us make humans in our image, after our likeness.” By creating humans in God’s image and likeness, humanity has the dignity of God, a theme that reoccurs many times throughout the bible.
As all humans have been made by God, we are all brothers and sisters and therefore have a duty to protect the dignity of each person. This idea of one human family is reaffirmed in the New Testament in Galatians 3:28 “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” We cannot treat people differently or unfairly because of where they come from, what their abilities are, who they know, their religious practices or the family they were born in to. A person’s dignity is not earned. It is given from God.
In 1948 the United Nations compiled a document called the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’. This was the first time in history that the dignity of each person had been acknowledged. It was an important shift towards acknowledging the fact that each person, made in God’s image, has rights and needs to be treated equally and with dignity. In his letter ‘Peace on Earth, Pope St John XXIII refers to the declaration as a ‘step in the right direction’ and a ‘solemn recognition of the personal dignity of every human being; an assertion of everyone’s right to be free to seek out the truth, to follow moral principles, discharge the duties imposed by justice, and lead a fully human life.’
Examples:
Colonisation is the taking over of one country by another in order to expand their territory, political control and access to resources. King Leopold II wanted a colony for Belgium as he desired historic and international political significance. In 1885 he established the Congo Free State, a colony owned by himself not Belgium, in order to have total control of its people and resources. The rights and dignity of the 20 million indigenous people were ignored for the sake of natural resource profits, mostly from ivory and rubber. Villages were burned down so that no one could hide from the colonial soldiers. Women and children were held hostage whilst the men of the village were forced to harvest rubber from trees. If not enough rubber was collected individuals would be whipped or killed, these people were thought of as not human. Instead they were enslaved and called savages, thought of as nothing more than uncivilised beasts. Those who colonised the Congo thought so little of the people whose land they had taken they believed the ammunition that they used against them to be more valuable than people’s lives. In order to show they were not wasting bullets, the colonial soldiers had to bring back one severed hand for every bullet they fired. This led to people’s hands being cut off who were still alive so that the superior officers would not think they had wasted bullets. These atrocities went on for several years before finally the rights of the indigenous people were recognised. However, as many as 10 million may have died in the time that King Leopold II ruled the Congo free state, almost half of the original population of the area.
Winterbourne View was a care home for patients with learning disabilities and autism located just outside of Bristol. In 2011 it was uncovered that there had been prolonged mistreatment of the residents in the home, including patients being slapped, harshly restrained, pinned to the floor with chairs, their hair being pulled, as well as encountering verbal abuse, being showered in cold water, and mouth wash being poured in one patient’s eyes. One extreme example saw one patient being doused in cold water and left outside in near sub zero temperatures. One psychologist likened the treatment to torture. The clear disregard for the dignity of the patients they were supposed to be caring for listed were shown on a BBC Panorama programme exposing the abuse. It is believed that this treatment had been going on long before the perpetrators were exposed. There are now more provisions for safeguarding the welfare of individuals with learning disabilities and autism in care homes like Winterbourne View. However, people with learning disabilities remain one of the groups that are the most likely to face abuse.
What can you do?
-Treat everyone you meet with the God given dignity that they deserve.
-Think about groups who are not necessarily treated with dignity, what can you do to help them?
-Get involved with human rights charities to ensure everyone’s rights are respected.
-Volunteer with a group going to Lourdes, such as HCPT or your diocese.
-Get some ideas for action from our CST page on promoting dignity and equality, being sure you pledge your action here.
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