Just the Facts: Veganism and Human Rights

Some of you may be wondering if there is any workplace discrimination or any rights associated with being a Vegan. The answer is, it depends of course on where in the world you live. Each country and society has its own ideas of rights in its society. As we know, some citizens are severely crippled in what more democratic societies view as basic human rights. 

And to be fair, some places are so undernourished and impoverished there is little to no food and a person has to do the best they can to survive let alone have access to clean water. This topic also deserves immense attention and a world effort. Honestly, making the choice to go Vegan at its core is the ethical belief, hence the term “environmental Vegan”, that being a Vegan helps sustain life so there is enough food to provide to people in need in other parts of the world.

As far as human rights go and being a Vegan, many of the technologically advanced countries actually have laws that protect Vegans as this type of lifestyle is considered an ethical and/or philosophical belief. For example in England, Wales and Scotland, Vegans are protected under the Equality Act of 2020 due to the weight of the belief and aspect of a person’s life and behavior they have by being a Vegan. This type of protection is very similar to a religious protection. 

Some basic premises for Vegans in the UK Equality Law include the following:

• You cannot be disadvantaged for being a Vegan
• No harassment for being Vegan
• No unfair treatment for being Vegan
• No victimization for being Vegan
• You are protected from unwanted conduct that causes you to feel humiliated
• You are protected from unwanted behavior that violates your dignity
• You are protected from conduct that creates a degrading, offensive or humiliating environment.

Socially this means you have the right to be treated fairly and without disadvantage by any service provider because of your Vegan lifestyle and commitment. You have the right to request and be provided with real Vegan food and Vegan approved products; this applies to restaurants, hotels, airlines, and other public transportation.

For employers, this means that they must supply Vegan food options at a working lunch or an onsite cafeteria. If there are uniforms, safety wear, office furniture, etc., you have the right to receive Vegan alternatives where available and comply with company specifications. You have the right not to be humiliated or have to deal with degrading behavior from colleagues. If there are policies are procedures that put you at a disadvantage because you are a Vegan, you have the right to request amendments to those policies and procedures.

Looking on a more global scale, Vegans interpret their rights under the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights (The Declaration). There are two international covenants that provide a legal element to articles within The Declaration. 1) The Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and 2) The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

In a nutshell the basic international human's rights of being a Vegan boil down to these items on a basic premise that Vegans have the right to culturally acceptable food and lifestyle:

• Equal in dignity, rights and respect human rights without distinction or discrimination of any kind. Equal to protection under the law.
• If a human right has been violated, the state must do whatever is necessary to restore that right.
• Right to social, cultural development, self-determination and anything that is indispensable for the development of their personality and culture.
• Entitled to an equal to a standard of living for adequate health, well-being, food choices, medical services, and social services.
• A right to an education on their beliefs, and respect their convictions in the moral education of their children, and a right to manifest in their teaching and practices. No one should be coerced into a belief not of their own choice. Must be allowed to enjoy and practice their culture.
• The right to freely choose their employment

The challenge is that even though these member countries provide a guideline for Vegan rights, many are not enforced for various reasons including but not limited to financial, amount of effort involved in taking these matters to court, time-consuming, stress and lack of Vegan specific precedent being laid out. Honestly, it is still a new concept to many people and many non-Vegans simply are not educated enough on this. The best news is the change is really starting to take hold now worldwide. Yes, the United Kingdom was ahead of their brothers and sisters across the pond on this, and we are rapidly gaining a like-minded momentum on this side.

One way our company Nudogen is getting involved is by promoting whimsical pro-Vegan designs through our Vegan Lover collection. People love showing their Vegan Forward-thinking and want to wear and share that message in a fun, peaceful, yet suggestive way. Our “Vegan lover” collection contains 100% cruelty-free cotton t-shirts, muscle tanks, and racerback tank tops. We also have “Vegan lover” water bottles because we are pro-environment and promote eliminating single-use plastics.  Check out some of our designs below and at our website, https://www.Nudogen.com

There is still mass discrimination out there. The best we can do is to continue to educate all of our societies in a logical and proper way so as to help facilitate the rights and needs of all Vegans worldwide. Many people in the world really are in more of an inclusive mindset and want their fellow citizens to thrive and be happy. Once everyone realizes Vegans really are pro-earth, pro-environment and pro-life, all life, their fears will melt and some will even carry this torch with us for the greater good. Peace and Love. 

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