Literacy Beyond Words: A Foundation for Human Rights and Human Dignity
September 8 — International Literacy Day
Literacy begins with reading and writing, but it does not end there. It enables people to understand the world around them, communicate their ideas, make informed decisions, and participate in the life of their communities.
UNESCO recognizes literacy as a fundamental human right and a gateway to the enjoyment of other rights, greater freedom, and active citizenship. Yet in 2024, at least 739 million young people and adults worldwide still lacked basic literacy skills. Four out of every ten children had not achieved minimum proficiency in reading. These figures point not only to an educational crisis, but also to a continuing challenge to equality and human dignity.
An Evolving Understanding of Literacy
Earlier approaches often defined literacy mainly as the ability to read, write, and perform basic calculations. While these foundational skills remain indispensable, UNESCO’s understanding has gradually become broader and more responsive to social and technological change.
UNESCO describes literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, and compute using written and printed materials in different contexts. It also treats literacy as a continuum of learning through which people develop their knowledge and abilities, pursue their goals, and participate fully in society.
This understanding moves beyond a simple division between “literate” and “illiterate.” A person may read basic sentences yet struggle to understand a medical form, evaluate a news report, complete an online application, recognize misleading information, or exercise a legal right. Literacy therefore has different levels, forms, and purposes. It develops throughout life and must adapt as society changes.
Literacy in a Digital Society
Access to education, public services, employment, health information, banking, and civic participation increasingly depends on digital technologies. For this reason, digital literacy is no longer an optional addition to traditional literacy.
UNESCO defines digital literacy as the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, evaluate, and create information safely and appropriately through digital technologies. It includes technical skills, but it also requires judgment, critical thinking, and ethical awareness.
A digitally literate person should be able to:
- Locate reliable information online;
- Distinguish evidence from misinformation and manipulation;
- Protect personal data and privacy;
- Use digital services safely and effectively;
- Communicate responsibly through digital platforms;
- Understand how algorithms and artificial intelligence may shape access to information; and
- Create and share digital content without harming the rights or dignity of others.
Digital access without these capacities can deepen inequality. People who lack digital skills may face barriers when applying for employment, accessing public benefits, seeking health care, continuing their education, or communicating with government institutions. The digital divide is therefore not only about access to devices and the internet. It also concerns the knowledge, confidence, language, accessibility, and support required to use technology meaningfully.
Literacy as an Enabling Human Right
The right to education appears in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UNESCO describes education as an “empowering right” because it enables people to overcome poverty, participate fully in society, and claim other rights.
Literacy gives practical meaning to this principle. A person must be able to find, understand, and evaluate information before making informed choices about health, employment, family life, political participation, or access to justice. People who cannot understand a legal notice, employment agreement, medical instruction, ballot, or government form may possess rights in law but remain unable to exercise them effectively.
Literacy also strengthens freedom of expression. The ability to speak is not enough if a person cannot obtain reliable information, develop an informed opinion, communicate it effectively, or engage critically with the views of others. Literacy helps transform expression from a formal entitlement into a meaningful human capability.
Literacy and Human Dignity
Human dignity requires more than physical survival. It requires the ability to understand, choose, communicate, participate, and be heard.
Illiteracy can expose individuals to exclusion, dependency, exploitation, and humiliation. It may force adults to rely on others for private correspondence, financial transactions, medical information, or legal documents. Such dependence can limit autonomy and create opportunities for abuse.
A dignity-based approach to literacy must therefore reach those who face the greatest barriers, including women and girls, displaced persons, linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, rural communities, older adults, and people living in poverty. It must also respect learners’ languages, cultures, life experiences, and practical needs.
Literacy programs should not treat learners as passive recipients of assistance. They should recognize them as rights-holders with knowledge, agency, and the capacity to contribute to their communities.
A Continuing Public Responsibility
International Literacy Day invites governments, educational institutions, technology companies, civil society organizations, and local communities to reconsider what literacy demands in a rapidly changing society.
Schools must teach foundational reading, writing, and numeracy while also developing digital, media, information, and human rights literacy. Governments should make essential information available in clear and accessible language. Digital services must not exclude people with limited skills or access. Technology companies should design platforms that protect users rather than exploit their vulnerabilities. Adult education and lifelong learning also deserve sustained public investment.
For the Roya Institute for Global Justice, literacy is inseparable from justice. It enables people to understand their rights, question abuses of power, make informed choices, and participate in decisions that shape their lives. Expanding literacy in all its forms is therefore not simply an educational objective. It is a commitment to freedom, equality, participation, and the inherent dignity of every human being.