Marketplace of Ideas: Source #2

I read an article from ABC CLIO database Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. The Article was titled Human Rights: Overview by Henry Carey. It gave an description of the human rights laws put in place today, where they came from, who makes sure they are protected, and the down falls of them. It said, “The human rights philosophy is simple. It holds that individuals have rights because it is morally right to protect humanity.” The article takes the stand that human rights should be guaranteed to everyone because it is right. These laws are supposed to protect people all over the world from many forms of abuse by forcing countries to follow guidelines. Human rights laws are particularly important in places where there is economic and political development. They make it so that there is a way to hold people accountable for injustices. Since part of human rights is political equality, human rights can steer a country into being more democratic.

          As an issue human rights was brought up by philosophers like John during the 18^th century. It was also an integral part of the Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. These documents brought the idea of human rights into governments and awarded these basic rights to their citizens. Before The Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, human rights were seen as something that was up to each state. Over time, many countries have acknowledged that people deserve certain rights just for being human.

          Basic human rights are seen as; the right to life, to earn a living, and to be free from abuse. But, there can be many forms where human rights are taken away from people with torture, murder, and genocide. There are also other forms human rights can be abused with economic, cultural, legal, political, or social injustices imposed on people by governments, individuals, or groups of people. Some ways that these topics affect current situations are sweatshops and wages, discrimination against women and children, police brutality, slavery, and immigration. Any activity that denies people of their lives, their freedom, or their ability to support themselves can be considered as an abuse of their human rights.

In 1976, the UN established the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Several committees are in charge of making sure these laws are implemented and enforced. Yet, a large amount of information about human rights abuses does not come from governments or the UN. It comes from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW). These organizations along with others get information on alleged human rights violations and draw attention to them in hopes that international public opinion will force offenders to change their behavior.

The biggest challenge today is not creating more laws for human rights but making sure that they are followed by countries and groups of people. There have been many accomplishments in human rights since its ideas were first thought of but there is still a lot more work to be done a more success to be seen.