Dominant Human Rights Claims

• Government Abuse of Individuals• Recognition of autonomy, or independence• Demand for rights for unconventional lifestyles• Protection form powerful actors and economic

development• Focus: Women’s rights

Emergence of Human Rights Awareness • U.S. – Soviet legitimacy competition• Indivisibility of Humanity• American image as a protector and

redeemer of HR• Global Institutions• Domestic Law and International Rights• Promoting Democracy• Human Rights and Economic Development• Power of non-State Actors

The Foundation of Human Rights

• Social Contract Theories (Locke, Rousseau, Kant)

• Utilitarianism (individual interests – rights)

• Libertarianism

• Marxism

• Positivism

Globalization of Human Rights• Freedoms: speech and expression, religion,

economic hardship, fear.• US• UN – Universal Declaration of Human

Rights • US – negative rights (government

cannot…)• USSR – positive rights (government has

to… )

Universalism vs. Cultural Relativism

• Universalism – natural rights• C. Relativism – different peoples have different

rights

Rights depend on culture, level of development, religious tradition, and individual and collective identity of the people

Individuals vs. CommunitiesRights and ObligationsTerrorism Suspects

Enforcing Human Rights• Sanctions• Responsibility to Protect (R2P)• International Criminal Court (ICC)• Case Study: Genocide Response

The Protest in Turkey!• Friday (May 31) Turkish activists organizing

a sit-in at the local park to oppose its development get forcefully removed by the police – 60 arrested.

• Photos, videos and tweets of this event spread across Istanbul and Turkey.

• Same Evening there are violent protests and clashes with police in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

The Protest in Turkey! (June 1st )• Police in Istanbul have fired tear gas

and water cannons at protesters trying to reach a symbolic landmark during a second day of anti-government demonstrations.

• Protesters chanted "unite against fascism" and "government resign”

• "The protesters are saying that this is not about trees anymore," said Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Istanbul.

• Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, called on Erdogan to withdraw police from the Gezi Park area, and criticised Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu over his handling of the situation.

The Protest in Turkey! (June 1st )

• Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "There was a mistake while using pepper gas by police forces. Okay. I have ordered the Interior Ministry to investigate this. It was excessive" he said. He, however, said the redevelopment plan for the park would go ahead.

• Clashes continue overnight – until Sunday • On Sunday Morning Erdogan appreas on

live TV: "those who make news [and] call these events the Turkish Spring do not know Turkey." He says his opponents have "provoked my innocent citizens."

The Protest in Turkey! (June 2nd )• Fierce clashes throughout Sunday and till

early Monday morning resulted in one confirmed death and hundreds injured.

• Officials say more than 1,700 people have been arrested in demonstrations in 67 towns and cities, though many have since been released.

• At this point the movement has spread and there are demonstrations across Turkey – though not all violent

The Protest in Turkey! (Monday, June 3rd )• Shares in Turkey fell sharply as fears that the

protests could continue took hold, with the main share index falling by 10.47%. The cost of insuring Turkish debt rose to a two-month high.

• Erdogan goes for a visit to Marocco: "On my return from this visit, the problems will be solved,” "The Republican People's Party [CHP] and other dissidents have a hand in these events.”

• "Today the people on the street across Turkey are not exclusively from the CHP, but from all ideologies and from all parties," Mehmet Akif Hamzacebi, a senior CHP party member, said.

The Protest in Turkey! (Tuesday, June 4th )

• About two hours ago - Turkish unions call "warning strike" against security forces' crackdown on protests

Who is protesting and Why?• String of restrictions (proscriptive laws) in line

with Islamic orthodoxy• Ex: Last week, the government passed legislation

curbing the sale and advertising of alcoholic drinks.

• Leftists, Liberals, Secular Activists …• PM Erdogan has been democratically elected

three times – and remains very popular (65-75% approval – pre-protests.)

Global Issues:The Status of Women

Special thanks to Dr. Patricia L. Sullivan

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide (1951)Convention against Torture (1984)Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969)Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1981)Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002)

Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.Article 16. (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.Article 21. (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.Article 26. (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

The Nature of Human RightsProscriptive vs. Prescriptive

The Nature of Human Rights• Security• Liberty• Political• Due Process• Equality• Welfare

Roles• Expectations regarding the skills,

rights, and duties of individuals or groups

• Rooted in perceptions, values, beliefs, customs

Status• One’s position in the social, economic, and

political hierarchy.

• socially-constructed• Gender• Skin color• Physical appearance• Nationality• Caste• Religion

Violence Against Women• Violence against

women is the most pervasive violation of human rights in the world today.

• 1 in 3 women in the world has been beaten, raped, or physically abused.

Violence Against Women• Human trafficking rivals

trade in narcotics and weapons at the third most lucrative trade globally

• In India, more than 5,000 women are killed each year because their inlaws consider their dowries inadequate.

• In some countries, husbands are exonerated from killing an unfaithful, disobedient or willful wife.

Violence Against Women• Throwing acid to disfigure a

woman’s face is so common in Bangladesh that it warrants its own section of the penal code.

• About 2 million girls each year (6,000 every day) are genitally mutilated.

• More than 1 million children, overwhelmingly female, are forced into prostitution every year.

Sexual Assaults: Women• After Female tourist from CH raped tou

rism falls. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/female-tourists-india-plunge-35-amid-gang-rapes-496386.html

• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/world/asia/condition-worsens-for-victim-of-gang-rape-in-india.html?_r=0

• Pictures of Protests in India http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/12/violent-protests-in-india-over-rape-case/100429/

• A film about a rape! http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/jan-june13/indiawomen_04-01.html

In Africa HIV and AIDS Disproportionately Affects Women and Girls

The Nature of Human Rights

Can universal human rights exist in a culturally diverse world?

Universalist

vs.

Relativist