Human rights centre around the ethical treatment of individuals and groups. It comprises a set of norms with their basis on certain moral postulates that define the rudimentary aspects of a decent & civilized society. The standards and regulations concerning human rights have been integrated into national and international legal systems, mechanisms, and procedures. Such incorporation ensures accountability and enables victims of human rights violations to attain legal reparations.
The codes and processes associated with human rights serve to protect an individual’s dignity. The laws ensure that the dignity & self-worth of every person is treated equally with respect. Given its extensive scope, there have been multiple debates on human rights’ origins, applications, and significance.
- Situations and circumstances that require the invocation of human rights generally involve events surrounding moral discourse, ethical or social discourse and legal or political discourse. None of these events is alterative or sequential but used in various contexts.
- The existence of human rights enables us to treat and respect our fellow human beings equally. The rights that apply to one person also apply to another. And the denial of human rights is a significant tragedy and a subject of a criminal violation.
- Human rights are a central cog in a civilized society. They lay down the standards by which the state & any non-state entity treats an individual or a group. Human rights are a crucial means of protection from abuse, violations, neglect, or mistreatment.
The rights and privileges these laws allow an average person to speak up, challenge, and fight against injustices.
Following is an overview of the fundamental human rights in today’s society.
The Basic Human Rights
Human rights are relevant and applicable to all human beings without discrimination regarding sex, race, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or anything else. Everybody is entitled to the following rights:
- Ethical, Social and Cultural Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, alongside the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights & associated bodies, seek to promulgate and protect à
- The right to work in just, decent, and favourable working conditions for assignment help company ;
- The right to social protection, and adequately humane standard of living, and the highest standards of physical & mental well-being;
- The right to education and entitlement to benefits of cultural independence & scientific progress;
- Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights enforced the First & Second Optional Protocol and laid down the following:
- The rights to freedom of movement, equality before the law, right to a fair trial & presuming innocence, freedom of thought, conscience & religion, freedom to express & opine as one feels, the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, participating in public affairs & elections, and the protection of minority rights.
- The Covenant and its protocols prohibit any random expropriation of life; torturing or degrading treatment or sanction; slavery or forced labour; whimsically arresting or detaining; interference or intrusion of privacy; war propaganda; any discrimination or espousal of hatred and intolerance.
The above constitute the fundamental human rights of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These rights are universally appliable to one & all, transcending all legal & regional boundaries.
The first sample essay in this blog looks at some of the worst human rights violations in modern history.
Sample Essay #1
5 Worst Human Rights Violations of All Time
Violation of human rights can involve any atrocity that degrades the dignity of any individual or group. Historically, violence has occurred, from targeted violence to sexual abuse and war crimes.
Here are the worst human rights violations of all time.
- Child Slavery in Uganda
For nearly 18 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army, a guerrilla group in Uganda, had been kidnapping boys, preparing them to be soldiers, and turning kidnapped girls into sex slaves for the army’s commanders. More than 20000 children were a part of the LRS in 2002.
- Forced Sterilization of Disabled Underage Girls
One of the most shocking laws in a developed nation like Australia is the forced sterilization of underage disabled girls.
Eventually, the High Court of Australia declared the essentiality of court authorization before initiation of any sterilization procedures and a report by the then Disability Discrimination Commissioner, the late Elizabeth Hastings, established an appropriate legal framework for decision making.
- Forced Vaginal Examination of Afghan Women
The erstwhile government of Afghanistan undertook forced vaginal examination of any women accused of any moral misconduct.
- The Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill
Recently, the Ugandan environment signed a bill that dictates tough penalties against homosexual individuals and dubs homosexual activities as crimes punishable by life imprisonment.
- The Holocaust
One of the worst human rights violations in record history was the systematic extermination of Jewish people by Nazi Germany. The Nazis constructed numerous concentration camps where Jews were imprisoned, forced into labour & live in inhuman conditions, and gassed to death.
- Slavery In The USA
After being brought forcefully from Africa, Africans were enslaved into bonded labour across all American Colonies. They were treated in a highly degrading & demeaning manner and considered animals by their masters. Finally, the American Civil War ended legal slavery in the United States of America.
Violations of fundamental human rights are still perpetrated across the Globe. Prominent human rights monitoring organizations such as Amnesty International closely monitor such incidences. Still, prevention of such violations ultimately boils down to the motivations & efficacy of local authorities.
Let’s now move on to the following sample essay.
Essential Questions On Global Human Rights Standards
Human rights are part of the global legislative agenda. But, if so, then why do sovereign states have to abide by international human rights legislation? What are generic human rights accepted across states? Do the human rights of sovereign countries correspond to the fundamental values of human society? And, how are all the different laws, rules and regulations applied in practice?
Let’s answer each of these questions one by one assignment writer.
Why do sovereign administrations abide by international human rights standards? The basic principles of a state’s sovereignty signify that neither any foreign government nor any international body can interfere with a state’s action concerning law enforcement within its jurisdiction. However, that does not allow them to act in violation of any statutes of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A state’s sovereign actions must not raise legitimate concerns with the United Nations or any international body regarding any human rights activity.
How do a state or an individual know which rights are human rights? It is very much possible to draw upon any philosophical argument or global social issue and declare it a human right. Yet, there must be specific standards and mechanisms for official recognition and legal representation.
The globally accepted and the most reliable source is the International Bill of Human Rights. It lists around fifty legal propositions, which form the basis of additional human rights statutes & documentation. The International Bill of Human Rights comprises five group rights, twenty-four civil & political rights, and fourteen economic, social & cultural rights.
