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Universal declaration of human rights article
Universal declaration of human rights article
Universal declaration of human rights article
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The countless women and girls of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who are raped and beaten at the hands of the military experience gross and widespread violations of their right to “life, liberty, and security of person” as endowed upon them by Article 3 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights . On the reverse end of a tragic dilemma, these same forcibly recruited soldiers acting as agents of the state experienced a violation of their right to not “be held in slavery or servitude” as is set forth in Article 4 of the aforementioned statute . Many Syrians, citizens of a nation in the throes of a brutal civil war, are undergoing torture and detention at the behest of their own government’s forces which starkly encroaches upon both their rights not to “be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment” nor to “be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile” as are promulgated by Articles 5 and 9 respectively . In yet another corner of the globe, ethnic Tibetans and Uighurs have their rights to “protection against any discrimination” trampled upon systematically by the ruling Chinese Communist Party in a direct contradiction to the protections afforded by Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . These are merely a few of the myriad examples of human rights violations occurring on a widespread basis across the world with varying degrees of severity and frequency. Ostensibly, human rights are inalienable, universal, irrevocable, and to be staunchly defended. While this platitude is agreeable in theory, in practice a far less lofty reality is the norm. Certain incursions by certain actors warrant one set of responses, or lack thereof, whereas othe...
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... International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, December 2001.
Human Rights Watch. World Report 2013. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch, 2013.
Nickel, James. “Human Rights.” In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, Spring 2014., 2014. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/rights-human/.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Accessed May 5, 2014. http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/.
U.S. Army Center of Military History. “The United States Army in Somalia 1992-1994.” Accessed May 7, 2014. http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/Somalia/Somalia.htm#p5.
United Nations Security Council. “Security Council Approves ‘No-Fly Zone’ Over Libya, Authorizing ‘All Necessary Measures’ to Protect Civilians.” Department of Public Information, March 17, 2011. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10200.doc.htm.
Genocide is a pressing issue with a multitude of questions and debates surrounding it. It is the opinion of many people that the United Nations should not get involved with or try to stop ongoing genocide because of costs or impositions on the rights of a country, but what about the rights of an individual? The UN should get involved in human rights crimes that may lead to genocide to prevent millions of deaths, save money on humanitarian aid and clean up, and fulfill their responsibilities to stop such crimes. It is preferable to stop genocide before it occurs through diplomacy, but if necessary, military force may be used as a last resort. Navi Pillay, Human Rights High Commissioner, stated, “Concerted efforts by the international community at critical moments in time could prevent the escalation of violence into genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or ethnic cleansing.”
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, n.d. Web. 03 May 2014.
Paine, Thomas. 2009. "The rights of man." Rights of Man 1. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed February 27, 2011).
"Declaration of the Rights of Man - 1789." The Avalon Project. Yale Law School, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
One of the main reasons why human rights have been put in place is to protect the public life and public space of every individual being. One fundamental characteristic of human rights is that they are equal rights; they are aimed at providing protection to every person in an equal way. These rights have been entrenched through laws that are passed by states and international conventions. Human rights laws have evolved over time, and have been shaped by several factors, including philosophical theories in the past. This paper looks at the theories of two philosophers, Emmanuel Kant and John Stuart Mills, and how their teachings can be used to explain the sources of human rights. Kant’s moral philosophy is very direct in its justification of human rights, especially the ideals of moral autonomy and equality as applied to rational human beings. John Stuart Mills’ theory of utilitarianism also forms a solid basis for human rights, especially his belief that utility is the supreme criterion for judging morality, with justice being subordinate to it. The paper looks at how the two philosophers qualify their teachings as the origins of human rights, and comes to the conclusion that the moral philosophy of Kant is better than that of Mills.
Can you imagine a life without pre-meditated murder? In his movie Minority Report, Steven Spielberg brings this vision to reality in the trappings of a police state. The pre-crime unit is charged with the elimination of pre-meditated murder using three pre-cogs, humans with the ability to predict violent crime. Minority reports- sporadic, erroneous predictions- indicate the fallibility of this system of imperfect procedural justice. Civilians have their rights to privacy violated on a regular basis for collection of intelligence. This movie is chillingly pertinent in the real world, as today African-Americans and Muslim-Americans have their rights violated regularly in the name of security.
Brown, A. Widney., and LaShawn R. Jefferson. "VI. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES." Afghanistan, Humanity Denied: Systematic Denial of Women's Rights in Afghanistan. New York, NY.: Human Rights Watch, 2001. 16+. Print
Around the world and around the clock, human rights violations seem to never cease. In particular, torture violations are still rampant all over the world. One regime, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, establishes a strong elaboration of norms against torture. Despite its efforts, many countries still outright reject its policies against torture while other countries openly accept them, but surreptitiously still violate them. The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia all have failed to end torture despite accepting the provisions of the Convention.
On December 10th in 1948, the general assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration, although not legally binding, created “a common standard of achievement of all people and all nations…to promote respect for those rights and freedoms” (Goodhart, 379). However, many cultures assert that the human rights policies outlined in the declaration undermine cultural beliefs and practices. This assertion makes the search for universal human rights very difficult to achieve. I would like to focus on articles 3, 14 and 25 to address how these articles could be modified to incorporate cultural differences, without completely undermining the search for human rights practices.
While on one hand there is a growing consensus that human rights are universal on the other exist critics who fiercely oppose the idea. Of the many questions posed by critics revolve around the world’s pluri-cultural and multipolarity nature and whether anything in such a situation can be really universal.
The doctrine of human rights were created to protect every single human regardless of race, gender, sex, nationality, sexual orientation and other differences. It is based on human dignity and the belief that no one has the right to take this away from another human being. The doctrine states that every ‘man’ has inalienable rights of equality, but is this true? Are human rights universal? Whether human rights are universal has been debated for decades. There have been individuals and even countries that oppose the idea that human rights are for everybody. This argument shall be investigated in this essay, by: exploring definitions and history on human rights, debating on whether it is universal while providing examples and background information while supporting my hypothesis that human rights should be based on particular cultural values and finally drawing a conclusion.
A right is an individual’s entitlement to freedom of choice and well-being. We have the right to live without interference from others and government, free will. A legal right is the entitlement that derives from a legal standpoint that allows someone to act in a specific way and for others to react in specified ways. For instance, the U.S. Constitution states all citizens have the right to the freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. These rights guaranteed to us as citizens of the United States of America. A moral right is a universal right that all human beings of every race or nationality has the same rights because we are humans. Human rights based off the fact that we are human beings and possess the right by virtue. These rights
Hymowitz, Sarah, and Amelia Parker. "Lessons - The Genocide Teaching Project - Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law." American University Washington College of Law. American UniversityWashington College of Law Center for Human Rights and Humanitaian Law, 2011. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .
Simmons, A. John (1992). The Lockean Theory of Rights. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 127.
A human right is a person’s obligation to ensure he or she lives a happy, secure, and innocuous life to the best of his or her abilities. A person has the liberty to desire such a life and fight for it. He or she is free to determine their conception of happiness. Others may suggest and influence another person’s definition of happiness but, ultimately, it is a person’s free will to establish what makes him or her happy. Whether it is simple or grand, one may choose a life that fits his or her perceptions of existing contentedly. Moreover, a person has the right to a secure life. Although safety can be relative and rhetorical, one has the freedom to seek security. One can protect themselves and their way of living. If he or she believes a fence or an alarm system is required to guard his or her safety, then he or she has the right to implement them. Furthermore, a person has the responsibility to achieve a joyful, safe life without harming others. Though one has the right to better themselves, he or she must do so with minimal collateral damage. Humans are flawed. Mistakes happen. Ho...