Human rights belong to everyone. They
are the basic rights we all have simply because we are human,
regardless of who we are, where we live or what we do. Human rights
represent all the things we need to flourish and live together as
human beings. They are expressed in internationally agreed laws, and
cover many aspects of everyday life ranging from the rights to food,
shelter, education and health to freedoms of thought, religion and
expression.
The roots and origins of human rights
and the struggles to bring them about lie deep in the history of many
different societies, civilisations and individuals. However, the
first universally agreed statement of human rights did not emerge
until 1948, with the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’
(UDHR). The UDHR is the most famous, most translated, and probably
most important, human rights document. All other human rights laws
take the UDHR as their starting point – it is the foundation of
modern human rights law.
Practical exercise What human rights
do we have?
Draw up a list of all the human rights
you think we have. It might help to think about what you think people
need in order to survive and flourish.
Here are a couple of examples to start
you off:
the right to life
the right to education
When you have finished,
follow this link to take a look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
How does your list compare? Are there
any surprises? Are there any rights that you think are missing, or
any that you think shouldn’t be included?
Who has responsibilities for human
rights?
Human rights are based on the principle
that we all have human rights – we are all ‘rights holders’.
When an individual has a right, there is a corresponding ‘duty
bearer’, usually the state, who is responsible for making sure that
right is respected, protected and fulfilled. By the state, in broad
terms we mean the government and those acting on its behalf. Human
rights prevent states from doing certain things, like not treating
you in a degrading way. They also require states to take certain
actions to make sure your rights are protected and fulfilled, like
taking steps to protect your life and improve your quality of life.
This doesn’t mean that human rights
have nothing to say about the responsibilities of individuals, or our
relationships with each other. Human rights recognise that we all
live alongside each other, and everyone else has rights too. If we
compromise others’ human rights, we are subject to laws that may
limit our own rights as a result. For example, if someone is
convicted of burgling your home, it is likely that they will be sent
to jail, restricting their right to liberty.
Key things you need to know about human
rights
Human rights belong to everyone
They are expressed in
internationally agreed laws
They are based on core values
including fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy
The ideas behind human rights
have developed gradually through history and come from many
different societies and civilisations
The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (1948) was the first internationally agreed statement of
human rights
The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights is the starting point for all modern human rights laws
Human rights laws place duties on
states to respect, protect and fulfil our human rights
What does the beast symbolize in Lord of the Flies?
