Human rights are a political aspect that everyone should recognize and respect. Being human beings, human rights have always been laid down over the years and do not have to be granted by any state. They apply to every one of us and do not have to be granted by the state that we live in. Human rights are inherent to all of us, and it does not matter what gender we are, the color of our skin, our religious beliefs, the languages we speak, or any other status (Cosgrove & Shaughnessy, 2020). Although rights might have slight differences between states and political boundaries, they should all be respected because they promote equality among all human beings. This paper seeks to discuss the recognition of rights from a political perspective.
Raising the issue of human rights in this course is important because it equips people with the knowledge and values to recognize, claim and defend their rights (Reinert et al., 2021). It also fosters attitudes and behaviors in us required to uphold rights for everyone in society, which in turn promotes equality, dignity, and respect in our communities. Raising the issue of human rights is fundamental because it is crucial for building and advancing our societies, enables us to participate in decision-making and resolving our conflicts peacefully, and fosters empathy, inclusion, and non-discrimination.
Human rights protect our dignity as human beings and should be recognized. No government or individual has the mandate to violate another person’s right (Lu, 2022). They are important because they enrich us with values like equality and respect, which help us create a desirable society to live in. They govern how we interact with each other in the community, school, the workplace, politics, and international relations. It is, therefore, crucial for people to comprehend rights which eases the promotion of justice and serenity of the society not only on a state level but on a global level as well.
Human rights are universal and unalienable, meaning that we are equally entitled to our rights. They should only be restricted in particular situations; for instance, one may be restricted from the right to liberty if he/she is incriminated by a court of law. They are independent, meaning that a particular class of rights should not be exercised in the absence of another; for example, the exercise of civil rights eases the exercising of rights concerning culture, economy, and social activities. (Leary, 2019). Rights are equal, meaning we are all born with equal dignity and rights. Human rights participation and inclusion mean that all people can freely and actively participate in development. The Human Rights rule of law means that states have a mandatory obligation to comply with the legal norms entangled in the instruments of human rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 and became the first legal document to advocate for the universal protection of fundamental human rights (Donnelly & Whelan, 2020). The UDHR is reinforced with thirty articles enhancing the principles of human rights conventions. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, form the International Bill of Rights. These rights govern the integration of human beings in society with each other and individual relationships with the obligations in the state we live in.
International Human Rights law establishes a foundation that states are required to respect. This means that states should not only abstain from interfering with the administration and practice of human rights but also protect individuals and groups from abuse. Governments all over the globe have enforced domestic legislation which integrates with their obligations. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights governs equality before the law, conscience and religion, freedom of opinion and expression, and participation in public affairs and elections (Ali, 2021). The Covenant prohibits arbitrary deprivation of life, degrading treatment, punishment, and discrimination. The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights seeks to protect the right to work in just and favorable conditions, the right to social protection, the right to adequate living standards of physical and mental well-being, the right to education, and the right to benefit from cultural freedom.
Human rights are relevant to comparative politics because different states and continents have different mechanisms to uphold these rights. In Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Act, established in 1977, protects the people of Canada from discrimination by the Canadian federal government. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is taking steps towards institutionalizing regional human rights standards in the Arab sector. The Council of Europe, along with the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE), advocate for rights in Europe (Sikkink, 2019). These organizations have a significant impact on the protection of rights.
Our rights influence how we interact with each other. It is thus fundamental that everyone recognizes what they are and respect them. Comprehension of human rights helps us maintain the well-being of our society. However, the concept of human rights raises questions for thought. As much as human rights are universal, should our cultural diversities bypass this aspect? What should we do in cases where we become victims of a violation of rights? What causes the need for agreements between different states on rights rather than every country determining its own standards?
References
Ali, S. S. (2021). Gender and human rights in Islam and international law: equal before Allah, unequal before man? In Gender and Human Rights in Islam and International Law. Brill.
Cosgrove, L., & Shaughnessy, A. F. (2020). Mental health as a basic human right and the interference of commercialized science. Health and Human Rights Journal, 22(1), p. 61.
Donnelly, J., & Whelan, D. J. (2020). International human rights Journal. p. 37–48.
Kakoullis, E. J., & Johnson, K. (2020). Recognizing Human Rights in Different Cultural Contexts. P. 32-35.
Leary, V. A. (2019). Globalization and Human Rights. In Human Rights: New Dimensions and Challenges Journal. p. 265–279.
Lu, S. (2022). Data Privacy, Human Rights, and Algorithmic Opacity. Human Rights, and Algorithmic Opacity (January 10, 2022). California Law Review Journal, p. 110.
Reinert, A., Schwartz, J. C., & Pfander, J. E. (2021). New Federalism and Civil Rights Enforcement. Nw. UL Rev., 116, 737.
Sikkink, K. (2019). 6. The Power of Principled Ideas: Human Rights Policies in the United States and Western Europe. In Ideas and foreign policy Journal. p. 139–170.
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