Bermuda marked the 57th anniversary of the signing of the International Human Rights Charter yesterday with great fanfare yesterday

The event was held on the steps of City Hall and had numerous ministers, Senators and Opposition members in attendance.

The Warner Gombey Troupe opened the ceremony and students from various schools addressed the audience about human rights on the Island.

Jennifer Looby, of Cedarbridge Academy, said the Island's citizens were not being offered their right to dignity because many of them lived in poverty and had to "choose between health care and food".

Saltus Grammar School's Head Girl, Melissiana Gibbons, remarked on the importance of remembering Bermuda's segregated past but not dwelling on it.

She remarked that the Island had come a long way in a short time. "My grandfather would not walk across the Saltus field for fear of punishment ... and now I am the the head girl of the same institution," she said.

Minister of Cultural Affairs, Dale Butler, also addressed the crowd. He spoke of the history of human rights and the charter and said Government was committed to ensuring all citizens had human rights. He said it was an "integral" part of their leadership.

However, he did say that Bermuda must not "celebrate our arrival, we still have a great deal of work to do to live up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."