Human Rights Final October12, 2010

8/8/2019 Human Rights Final October12, 2010

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REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Compiled By Tanushree Taneja, Class X


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REPORT CONTENTS

Acknowledgement.

What are Human rights.

History of Human Rights.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Violation of Human Rights.

Champions of Human Rights.

Organizations for Human Rights.

Key Learning Synopsis.


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Acknowledgement

As I was contemplating on the topic of choice for

this project, a news article in todays news

papers opened my eyes to something which has

been close to my heart - Human Rights.

Human Rights evokes mixed emotions being a

topic of relevance as we the civilized society in

the 21st century with umpteen number of

resolutions, guidelines and governing bodies to

monitor and determine adherence of Human

Rights see around us instances as beingreported.

No, its not just todays news of Mr. Liu Xiaobo

winning of a Nobel prize when he is jailed in his

own country for 15 years for exercising his right

of freedom of expression, but more importantlyhave we as a human race learned enough from

the previous world wars, bombing of Hiroshima,

loss of lives in Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan,

Palestine, starvation and genocide in countries

in Africaand the list goes on.


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Acknowledgement

I thank my Parents, Teachers and the upbringing in

the school which imbibes a culture of kindness and

feeling for the well being of the human race.

Further I acknowledge the following websites -

http://www.humanrights.com/

http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights ,

which offers a plethora of information on the subjectand has been used by me, in addition to yahoo

(http://www.yahoo.com/) for the images and pictures.

Tanushree Taneja

Class X, Inventure Academy, Bangalore.

October 7, 2010.


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What is Humanrights?

Human rights refers to universal rights of human

beings regardless of jurisdiction or other factors,

such as ethnicity, nationality, or religion.

Every person is entitled to certain fundamental

rights, simply by the fact of being human. These arecalled human rights. They are rights because

they are things you are allowed to be, to do or to

have.

These rights are there for your protection against

people who might want to harm or hurt you. Theyare also there to help us get along with each other

and live in peace. When human rights are not well

known by people, abuses such as discrimination,

intolerance, injustice, oppression and slavery can

arise.

Born out of the atrocities and enormous loss of life

during World War II, the United Nations Universal

Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948 to

provide a common understanding of what

everyones rights are. It forms the basis for a worldbuilt on freedom, justice and peace.


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HistoryofHuman Rights

Originally, people had rights only because of theirmembership in a group, such as a family.

Then, in 539 BC, Cyrus the Great, after conquering

the city of Babylon, did something totally

unexpectedhe freed all slaves to return home.Moreover, he declared people should choose their

own religion. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay tablet

containing his statements, is the first human rights

declaration in history.

The idea of human rights spread quickly to India,Greece and eventually Rome. The most important

advances since then have included:

1215 The Magna Carta

1628 The Petition of Right

1776 The United States Declaration of

Independence

1789 The Declaration of the Rights of Man and

of the Citizen

1948 The Universal Declaration of HumanRights


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1215: The Magna Carta or Great Charter,.

In 1215, the subjects of King John of England

forced him to sign the Magna Carta. Widely

viewed as one of the most important legal

documents in the development of moderndemocracy, the Magna Carta was a crucial turning

point in the struggle to establish freedom.

Some of the important changes it proposed

included:

1. the right of the church to be free from

governmental interference,

2. the rights of all free citizens to own and inherit

property and to be protected from excessive

taxes.3. the right of widows who owned property to

choose not to remarry

4. Provisions forbidding bribery and official

misconduct.


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1628: The Petition ofRight

In 1628 the English Parliament sent this statement

of civil liberties to King Charles I. The Petition of

Right, initiated by Sir Edward Coke, was based

upon earlier statutes and charters and assertedfour principles:

1. No taxes may be levied without consent of

Parliament,

2. No subject may be imprisoned without cause

shown (reaffirmation of the right of habeas

corpus),

3. No soldiers may be quartered upon the

citizenry, and

4. Martial law may not be used in time of peace.

1776: The United States Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 1776, the United States Congress

approved the Declaration of Independence. Its

primary author, Thomas Jefferson and it

proclaimed the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of

happiness.


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1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and

of the Citizen

In 1789 the people of France brought about the

abolishment of the absolute monarchy and set the

stage for the establishment of the first FrenchRepublic. The Declaration proclaims that all

citizens are to be guaranteed the rights of liberty,

property, security, and resistance to oppression.

1948: The Universal Declaration of Human

Rights

Lists 30 rights to which everyone is entitled. By

1948, the United Nations new Human Rights

Commission had captured the worlds attention.

Under the dynamic chairmanship of EleanorRooseveltPresident Franklin Roosevelts widow,

a human rights champion in her own right and the

United States delegate to the UNthe Commission

set out to draft the document that became the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was

adopted by the United Nations on December 10,1948.


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UniversalDeclarationof

Human RightsOn October 24, 1945, in the aftermath of

World War II, the United Nations came into

being as an intergovernmental organization,

with the purpose of saving future generations

from the devastation of international conflict.

The Declaration was drafted by

representatives of all regions of the world

and encompassed all legal traditions.

Formally adopted by the United Nations on

December 10, 1948, it is the most universalhuman rights document in existence,

delineating the thirty fundamental rights that

form the basis for a democratic society

Today, the Declaration is a living documentthat has been accepted as a contract

between a government and its people

throughout the world. According to the

Guinness Book of World Records, it is the

most translated document in the world.


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Human RightsThis simplified version of the 30 Articles of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights is as follows:

1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born

free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We

should all be treated in the same way.2. Dont Discriminate. These rights belong to

everybody, whatever our differences.

3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life,

and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us aslave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or

to torture us.

6. You Have Rights No MatterWhere You Go. I

am a person just like you!

7. Were All Equal Before the Law. The law is the

same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.

8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law.

We can all ask for the law to help us when we are

not treated fairly.

9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right toput us in prison without good reason and keep us

there, or to send us away from our country.


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Human Rights10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this

should be in public. The people who try us

should not let anyone tell them what to do.

11. Were Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty.

Nobody should be blamed for doing something

until it is proven. When people say we did a bad

thing we have the right to show it is not true.

12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to

harm our good name. Nobody has the right to

come into our home, open our letters, or bother

us or our family without a good reason.13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to

go where we want in our own country and to

travel as we wish.

14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If

we are frightened of being badly treated in our

own country, we all have the right to run away toanother country to be safe.

15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right

to belong to a country.

16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has

the right to marry and have a family if they wantto. Men and women have the same rights when

they are married, and when they are separated.


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Human Rights17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has

the right to own things or share them. Nobody

should take our things from us without a good

reason.

18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right tobelieve in what we want to believe, to have a

religion, or to change it if we want.

19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right

to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to

say what we think, and to share our ideas with other

people.

20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have

the right to meet our friends and to work together in

peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us

join a group if we dont want to.

21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the rightto take part in the government of our country. Every

grown-up should be allowed to choose their own

leaders.

23. Workers Rights. Every grown-up has the right to

do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and to join a

trade union.


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Human Rights24.. The Right to Play We all have the right to rest

from work and to relax.

25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to

a good life. Mothers and children, people who are

old, unemployed or disabled, and all people havethe right to be cared for.

26. The Right to Education. Education is a right.

Primary school should be free. We should learn

about the United Nations and how to get on with

others. Our parents can choose what we learn.

27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that

protects ones own artistic creations and writings;

others cannot make copies without permission. We

all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy

the good things that art, science and learning bring.

28. A Fair and FreeW

orld. There must be properorder so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in

our own country and all over the world.

29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people,

and we should protect their rights and freedoms.

30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.


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Human Rights Violations

Human rights Violation is abuse of people in a waythat it abuses any fundamental human rights.

According to the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, fundamental human rights are violated

when, among other things:

1. Men and women are not treated as equal.

2. Different racial or religious groups are not

treated as equal.

3. Life, liberty or security of person are threatened.

4. A person is sold as or used as a slave.

5. Cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment suchas torture or executions is used.

6. Victims of abuse are denied an effective judicial

remedy.

7. Punishments are dealt arbitrarily or unilaterally,

without a proper and fair trial.

8. Arbitrary interference into personal, or private

lives by agents of the state.

9. Citizens are forbidden to leave or return to their

country.

10.Freedom of speech or religion are denied.

11.Education is denied.


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Human rights advocates agree that, sixty yearsafter its issue, the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, violations exist in every part of the world.

Amnesty Internationals 2009 World Report and

other sources show that individuals are: Tortured or abused in at least 81 countries

Face unfair trials in at least 54 countries

Restricted in their freedom of expression in at

least 77 countries

Some Examples of violations :



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ARTICLE 3 THE RIGHT TO LIVE FREE

An estimated 6,500 people were killed in 2007 in

armed conflict in Afghanistannearly half beingnoncombatant civilian deaths. Hundreds of civilians

were also killed in suicide attacks by armed groups.

In Uganda, 1,500 people die each week in the

internally displaced person camps. According to the

World Health Organization, 500,000 have died in thesecamps.

ARTICLE 4 N O SLAVERY

In northern Uganda, the LRA (Lords Resistance Army)guerrillas have kidnapped 20,000 children over the

past twenty years and forced them into service as

soldiers or slaves for the army.

In Guinea-Bissau, children as young as five are

trafficked out of the country to work in cotton fields in

southern Senegal or as beggars in the capital city.


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ARTICLE 5 NO TORTURE

In 2008, US authorities continued to hold 270

prisoners in Guantnamo Bay, Cuba, without charge

or trial, subjecting them to water-boarding, torture

that simulates drowning.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, acts of

torture and ill treatment are routinely committed by

government security services and armed groups,

including sustained beatings, and stabbings ofthose in custody.

ARTICLE 13 FREEDOM TO MOVE

In Myanmar, thousands of citizens were detained,

most notably Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu

Kyi. She has been imprisoned or under housearrest for twelve years.

In Kenya, authorities violated international refugee

law when they closed the border to thousands of

people fleeing armed conflict in Somalia.


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ARTICLE 18 FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

In Myanmar, the military junta crushed peaceful

demonstrations led by monks, raided and closed

monasteries, confiscated and destroyed propertyof the protesters.

In Kazakhstan, local authorities in a community

authorized the destruction of homes belonging to

members of the Hare Krishna community.

ARTICLE 19 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

In Sudan, dozens of human rights defenders

were arrested and tortured by national

intelligence and security forces.

In Somalia, a prominent human rights defender

was murdered.


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ChampionsofHuman

RightsWe can draw inspiration from those who made a

difference and helped create the human rights

we have today. These humanitarians stood up

for human rights because they recognized that

peace and progress can never be achievedwithout them. Each, in a significant way,

changed the world.

Some of our leaders who have been powerful

and effective and an inspiration to cause of

Human rights making a difference and changed

our world include :

1.Mahatma Gandhi (18691948)

2.Eleanor Roosevelt (18841962)

3.Nelson Mandela (b. 1918)

4.Martin Luther King Jr. (19291968)


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ChampionsofHuman

Rights1. Mahatma Gandhi (18691948)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is widely

recognized as one of the twentieth centurysgreatest political and spiritual leaders. Honored

in India as the father of the nation, he pioneered

and practiced the principle of Satyagraha

resistance to tyranny through mass nonviolent

civil disobedience.

While leading nationwide campaigns to ease

poverty, expand womens rights, build religious

and ethnic harmony and eliminate the injustices

of the caste system, Gandhi supremely applied

the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience to

free India from foreign domination.


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ChampionsofHuman

Rights2. EleanorRoosevelt (18841962)

As the chair of the United Nations Human Rights

Commission, Eleanor Roosevelt was the drivingforce in creating the 1948 charter of liberties

which will always be her legacy: The Universal

Declaration of Human Rights.

Eleanor was the wife of President Franklin

Delano Roosevelt and the First lady. She wasdeeply involved in human rights and social

justice issues. She advocated equal rights for

women, African-Americans and Depression-era

workers.

In 1946, Roosevelt was appointed as a delegate

to the United Nations. As head of the Human

Rights Commission, she was instrumental in

formulating the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights.


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ChampionsofHuman

Rights3. Nelson Mandela (b. 1918)

Nelson Mandela, one of the most recognizable

human rights symbols of the twentieth century.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, Mandela

became a powerful symbol of resistance for the

rising anti-apartheid movement, repeatedly

refusing to compromise his political position to

obtain his freedom. Finally released in February

1990, he intensified the battle againstoppression to attain the goals.

In May 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as

South Africas first black president, a position he

held until 1999.


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ChampionsofHuman

Rights4. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the twentieth

centurys best-known advocates for nonviolent

social change. He first attracted national attentionprotesting against nonwhites to surrender their

seats to whites and stand or sit at the back of the

bus.

King wrote, spoke and organized various nonviolent

protests and mass demonstrations to draw attentionto racial discrimination and to demand civil rights

legislation to protect the rights of African-Americans.

Kings famous speech I have a dream envisioned

a world where people were no longer divided by

race. So powerful was the movement King inspired,

Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the

same year he was honored with the Nobel Peace

Prize.


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A United Nations Report of 26 May 2005,

presents causes of human rights violations. The

challenges included therein:

Human Rights Challenges

Poverty and global inequities

Discrimination

Armed conflict and violence

ImpunityDemocracy deficits

Weak institutions

The Challenges of Implementation

The knowledge gap

The capacity gap

The commitment gap

The security gap

ChallengesofHuman

Rights


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Many organizations around the world dedicate their efforts

to protecting human rights and ending human rights

abuses. Below are some examples of such groups.

1. Amnesty International: www.amnesty.org

2. Childrens Defense Fund (CDF): www.childrensdefense.org3. Human Rights Action Center: www.humanrightsactioncenter.org

4. Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org

5. Human Rights Without Frontiers: www.hrwf.net

6. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP):

www.naacp.org

7. Simon Wiesenthal Center: www.wiesenthal.com

8. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:

www.ohchr.org

9. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO): www.unesco.org

10. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:

www.unhcr.org

11. US State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor:

www.state.gov

12. Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organizationfor Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE): www.osce.org/odihr

13. Commission for Human Rights, Council of Europe www.coe.int

14. European Union Ombudsman: www.ombudsman.europa.eu

15. European Commission Directorate for Employment, Social Affairs and

Equal Opportunities: www.ec.europa.eu/social

16. African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights: . www.achpr.org

17. The Asian Human Rights Commission: www.ahrchk.net

OrganizationsForHuman

Rights


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KeyLearning Synopsis

How important are human rights? Long before thephrase human rights came into existence, men

and women fought and died for basic human

freedoms. In fact, this struggle has lasted thousands

of years and still continues today.

Ultimately, human rights are the basis of everythingpeople cherish about their way of life. In their

absence, lasting happiness is impossible, because

there is no personal security, no freedom and no

opportunity. Thus, all peoples have long recognized

their fundamental importance and have sought to

articulate and defend them.

Yet it took a world war and the deaths of tens of

millions of people to bring the leading nations

together to create a truly universal charter of rights.

Today, Human rights exist, as embodied in theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights and the

entire body of international human rights law. They

are recognizedat least in principleby most

nations and form the heart of many national

constitutions. Yet the actual situation in the world

may be distant from the ideals envisioned in theDeclaration.


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KeyLearning Synopsis

To some, the full realization of human rights

is still a remote and unattainable goal. Even

international human rights laws are difficult to

enforce and pursuing a complaint can take

years and a great deal of money.

Discrimination is rampant throughout theworld. Thousands are in prison for speaking

their minds. Torture and politically motivated

imprisonment, often without trial, are

commonplace, condoned and practiced

even in some democratic countries.

But you can make a difference. Become

informed on human rights issues around the

world and be a part of the change for a better

world for generations to come.

Thank You.

Documents

Human Rights Final October12, 2010