September 28: International Day of Universal Access to Information, Rabbit Day

Today, on September 28, people in many countries of the world can join the events on the occasion of the International Day of Universal Access to Information, UNN writes.

It is believed that in the seventh century, the Chinese emperor Tai Tsung created a department of officials whose duties included exposing bribes and negligent work of civil servants and making these facts public.

The world's first law on access to information was adopted in 1766 in Sweden.

The document guaranteed free access to archives with the right to obtain copies of documents, freedom of printing and dissemination of data on the government, parliament and courts.

The right to free access to information was also proclaimed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was adopted in France in 1789.

A serious struggle for the right of citizens to have access to information about the activities of state institutions, law enforcement agencies, courts, etc. began in the twentieth century.

In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, the right of access to information is formulated in Article 19 as the right to gather, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds anywhere and without hindrance.

Ukraine adopted the Law on Information in 1992 and the Law on Access to Public Information in 2011.

The International Day for Universal Access to Information was recognized in 2015 at the level of UNESCO, and in 2019 at the level of the United Nations.

Since 2011, on the initiative of the World Organization for Women's Reproductive Rights, the International Day for Safe Abortion has been held on September 28.

In many countries, abortion is still a criminal offense. According to the WHO, about 25 million clandestine abortions are performed every year, causing great harm to women's health or even death.

In 85-90% of cases of unwanted pregnancy, women choose an artificial termination, which is performed in a medical facility without complications and harm to health.

The safest abortion is considered to be a medical abortion, which can be performed at 6-7 weeks of conception without surgery.

September 28 is also World Rabies Day.

The event was established on the occasion of the day of the prominent French microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who was the first in the world to invent a rabies vaccine.

Today, rabies is spread in more than 150 countries, but it is now curable thanks to vaccines. According to WHO statistics, about 99% of cases of human transmission of the dangerous disease occur through dogs.

Another current event that was launched in 2006 is the World Hunger Day.

Its goal is to raise awareness of the current problem of food shortages.

On the fourth Saturday of September, animal rights activists celebrate Rabbit Day.

Rabbits began to be domesticated in Europe only in the VI century. These animals can reach speeds of up to 55 kilometers per hour. The structure of rabbits' eyes is such that they can see what is happening behind them without turning their heads.

The smallest breed is called the pygmy rabbit. These animals are 22 to 35 centimeters long and weigh a maximum of 450 grams.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of St. Chariton the Confessor.

The man lived in the third and fourth centuries in Asia Minor. When the persecution of Christians intensified, Chariton was captured by pagans, tortured, and then thrown into prison.

After a while, Chariton was released and set out for the Holy Land. Near Jerusalem, he was captured by robbers.

According to legend, they brought Chariton to their cave. A snake sent by the Lord crawled in and poisoned the wine. The robbers drank the wine and died, and Chariton built a church in the cave.

Now it is the Faransky Lavra, where Khariton is buried.

Chariton, Maksym, Mykyta, and Stepan celebrate their name days on September 28.