Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Human Rights

"On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This Declaration guarantees the rights of all people and encompasses a broad spectrum of ecomomic, social, cultural, poitical, and civil rights."

Right to Equality

Freedom from Discrimination

Right to Life, Liberty, and Personal Security

Freedom from Slavery

Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment

Rigth to Recognition as a Person before the Law

Right to Equality before the Law

Right to Remedy by Competent Tribunal

Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Exile

Right to Fair Public Hearing

Right to be Considered innocent until proven guilty

Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence

Right to free movement in and out of the country

Right to Asylum in other countries from persecution

Right to a nationality and the freedom to change nationality

Right to marriage and fmaily

Right to own property

Freedom of belief and religion

Freedom of opinion and information

Right of peaceful assembly and association

Right to participate in government and in free elections

Right to socail security

Right to desireable work and to join trade unions

Right to rest and leisure

Right to adequate living standard

Right to education

Right to participate in the cultural life of community

Right to a social order that articulates this document

Community duties essential to free and full development

Freedom from state or personal interference in the above rights

I think it this Declaration is very interesting considering that the UN is made up of nearly all countries in the world, yet how many of them abide by this... including ours. I think of China and Ethiopia... What's the point of accepting a declaration that you don't intend on following?

I would venture to say that at least 80% of the world has no clue that this Declaration even exists. And even if they did, would it matter? Would it affect the way they are treated? The solution to human rights cannot be a man made declaration. As long as we are human we will never cease to degrade eachother. Oh how we need a savior!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Whoa I feel really ignant. I've heard of the UDHR but I never did my homework. I shall have to refer to it when talking about freedom.