Spirou: Human Rights Defender

15/10/2018

Spirou, a comic strip character created in Belgium in 1938, dedicated to the mission of fighting injustice, has just been named Human Rights Defender by the UN.

After the UN chose the Smurfs in March 2017 to promote happiness and the Sustainable Development Goals with the campaign 'Small Smurfs Big Goals', it is now Spirou's turn to get involved.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was then that the campaign #StandUp4HumanRights began to encourage participation and reflection across the world. This campaign aims to show the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in our daily lives.

Spirou's role will be as a spokesperson for this campaign and to act as a Defender, specifically through the travelling exhibition #Spirou4Rights, which recalls the 30 Articles of the Declaration and has just been unveiled by the UN head office in Geneva. This exhibition will also be presented in Yerevan for the 17th Francophonie Summit and in Bamako, Switzerland and Brussels. And to make sure that it is widespread, it is also available for download.

This is not the first time that this brave and selfless hero has represented a good cause, since he also contributed to the Flemish campaign Rode Neuzen. The Antwerp publishing house Ballon Media has therefore released a special edition of the comic from which all proceeds will be granted to young people with psychological disorders.

For more information, please feel free to consult the website: standup4humanrights.org.