"The only thing necessary for the persistence of evil is for enough good people to do nothing." (Peter Benenson). Those words have reflected the reality of our world since the cavemen ages to the present time. If those words had been heeded, Germany wouldn't have advanced past Rhineland to cause World War 2. If those words had been followed, people in places like Burma or North Korea would have the right to express their opinions. If only all human beings followed that simple one sentence, our world would be a more beautiful, peaceful, and joyful place for everyone. However, it is never too late to change the way people listen to those words. Amnesty International, a non-governmental organization formed in 1961 is designated to stop the persistence of evil by helping all citizens in the world gain internationally recognized human rights such as freedom of speech, humane treatment of prisoners, the right to education, and they also make a global report each year to inform the world about human rights issues in each country. The “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” is a human right charter that Amnesty International focuses on. The articles in the declarations states the rights every human being in the world should have. An important article the freedom of expression, permits every citizen to speak without censorship and/or limitation. It is a basic human right that every citizen in the world should have but many don’t. In countries such as Burma and North Korea, citizens got beaten up or imprisoned when anything negative were said about the government. Even in developed countries, workers aren’t allowed to complain about their poor working conditions. To raise awareness and aide people about the situations, Amnesty Internati... ... middle of paper ... ...imminent danger of torture or even death. By supporting Amnesty International this would promote a sense of global union and give the hopeless people a light of hope. In conclusion, Amnesty International not only has helped many gain fundamental human rights such as freedom of speech, humane treatment of prisoners, and the right to education, but they also contributed in letting the world know about human rights issues. The human rights that we take for granted is the life long dream of many unfortunate people. We are lucky to have organizations like Amnesty International who does everything in their power to assist the ones in need and spread their stories in hope of more people joining in the fight. The old Chinese Proverb says "Better light a candle than curse the darkness, " we should do the same for human rights, better help a person than feel sorry for them!
Treating peace verses justice as polar ends of a spectrum assumes positions in extremes of entirely forgiving and forgetting the past through blanket amnesty laws for the sake of reconciliation or pursuing retributive justice against every perpetrator of human rights violations at the risk of disestablishing delicate political transitions. This paper will argue that amnesties are proactive incentives toward peace, justice and truth, not simply exclusive toward one over another. Despite the potentially damaging consequences of amnesty laws for victims and the frequent condemnation of amnesties as a denial of victims’ rights, there are examples from countries such as Uganda of civil society groups lobbying i...
The world order as it is currently known is the entangled product of centuries of complicated and gruesome history of the interactions among people, one forever stained by human rights violations, morbid wars, and encroachments of power. Although these actions cannot be erased from history, they can be prevented from recurring. Acclaimed authors Kate Nash, in her book The Culture of Politics of Human Rights: Comparing the US and the US, and Hannah Arendt, in her chapter “The Decline of the Nation-State and the End of the Rights of Man,” explain their respective views regarding skepticisms of international institutions and global solidarity campaigns to address human rights matters and delineate the limits of the practicality of a post-national
"Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Amnesty International USA - Protect Human Rights. 19 May 2009 .
go to the police, or maybe to the government? What if the police and government
In my opinion, Amnesty International is one of the most effective and dedicated organizations. In the past 36 years, they have been one of lead fights for human rights. It is true that Amnesty International has not succeeded on every case that it has handled, in fact it probably hasn=t succeeded on half of them, but it has succeeded on communicating its message. Amnesty International has made the government aware that they have a fight, the prisoners aware that they have someone on their side, and the public aware that they should take action for human rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10, 1948. Each of the 30 articles in this declaration defines rights humans need, from basic resources and education to freedom of thought and speech. Article 2 states, “Everyone
• Amnesty International: Australia- governments dismissal of UN criticism undermines hard earned credibility in human rights diplomacy.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and rel...
...n, about it reports a set of UN, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International human rights organizations. [40] [41]
1. As far as peace keeping methods go, the reputation of the United Nations is very pitiable. This is not only because they have not been doing their job to it’s fullest extent, but also because the member states on the security council haven’t given the UN the power it needs if it is to be a successful force in peace keeping methods.
According to Pease (2012), an international organization are conceived as formal institutions whose members are states and these are divided into two sub-groups called intergovernmental organizations (IGO) and non-governmental organizations (NGO). An IGO consists of states that voluntarily join, contribute financially, and assist in the decision making process. All of their members’ resolves, structures, and administrative protocols are clearly outlined in the treaty or charter. An example of an IGO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). First, all IGOs comes from an established government which can be further categorized by rules of membership which qualifies NATO because it is an alliance of about 30 members from North America and Europe. Secondly, IGOs can have limited participation in membership or restricted membership which qualifies NATO because this is a security agreement and it limits its involvement by confining it to an amalgamation of specific governmental, geographical, and martial considerations. Thirdly, IGOs are categorized by their purpose meaning the member can be multi or general purpose organization and they can take on any global issue (Pease, 2012). This qualifies NATO because over the years the organization has participated in several international war related issues such as the Korean War and the Cold War. Most recently, NATO, for the first time in history had to engage Article 5 of the treaty after the 9/11 attacks in New York City and the no-fly zone in the country of Libya.
...principle was stressed on the individual, establishing the rights of life, autonomy, and protection (“Human Rights”). These constitutional rights impacted individuals as they could live without fear knowing that they are secure (“Human Rights”). The next principle impacted groups and prevented these groups from the cruelty of others (“Human Rights”). The notion of human rights will require profound involvement of the United Nations as the 21st century approaches. Currently there are many dictators who are not following the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They have denied people of their lives, their liberty, and their capability to upkeep themselves. The United Nations will have to update their system of enforcement to ensure that human rights are met.
The universal declaration of human rights declared that all people have equal rights, regardless of race, gender, religion, language, culture, birth status, national origin, or opinion. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups. (ohchr.org) The universality of human rights is a concept that allows everyone to have the same basic human rights no matter where the location. If that concept is true then why are people being tortured and ostracized. Why are people still afraid of going against their leaders, fearing that they will be found and killed. It is because some leaders
Over the past few years, the International Criminal Court (ICC or “the Court”) has been igniting controversy the world over. As more countries rallied behind it, more objections have been made, particularly from Americans, regarding what many view as fundamental flaws. I have chosen two papers to compare and contrast the different viewpoints taken by the authors when reflecting upon America’s involvement with the ICC. One calls for total rejection of the ICC, the other weighs the risks and benefits and calls for revision but acceptance.
The United Nations has made many achievements since the agreement made in 1945. The efforts of the UN helped end the apartheid in South Africa allowing the citizens of South Africa equal participation in the Elections of April 1994 followed by a consensus in choosing a form of government. 90 percent of children in developing countries attend school and 60 percent of adults in these countries can read and write thanks to the UN and the struggle to improve education in developing countries. Over 300 international treaties have been created through United Nations efforts to strengthen international law. These achievements and many others encourage people like myself to promote and praise the United Nations.