Download List the 3 qualities of human rights Human rights are

Human Rights Q&A - Videos
List the 3 qualities of human rights
Human rights are (1) Universal (2)
Inalienable (3) indivisible
Universal = They apply to all people,
everywhere, all of the time.
What does it mean that human rights are
‘universal’?
What does it mean that human rights are
‘inalienable?
What does it mean that human rights are
‘indivisible?
Which 3 documents constitute the
International Bill of Human Rights?
Who is responsible for protecting human
rights?
What is an NGO?
Inalienable = human rights cannot be taken
away (they are not given or earned as a
privilege or a luxury or a reward )
Indivisible = all 30 human rights come as a
‘package deal’, you cannot pick and choose
which you want, like or agree with. Only
when people have all 30 do they have a fully
dignified human life.
International Bill of Human Rights =
Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948
International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights 1966
International Covenant on social, economic
and cultural rights 1966
Countries are responsible for protecting
human rights - The UDHR is not law; it is up
to individual countries to protect these
ideals through the laws of their country.
NGO = non-governmental organization.
Example – Human Rights Watch, Amnesty
International.
Since it is often governments that violate
How do NGO’s help the protection of human human rights, NGO’s play an important role
rights?
in monitoring governments and creating
awareness of human rights violations.
Why do some question that human rights
can be universal?
Some argue that the human rights reflect the values
of western culture. They argue that other cultures
have different values. For example some traditional
cultures believe that men and women have
different roles in society and they should not be
equal. How can we respect and tolerate cultural
differences and the universality of human rights?
What does it mean that human rights can be
used as a pretext for war?
Some countries argue that human rights is used
as an excuse (pretext) for western nations to
wage war not so much over human rights but
for some other gain, for example the war in
Iraq.
What are the 3 categories of human rights?
What are civil and political rights?
Civil and political rights
Economic, social and cultural rights
Collective Rights (new)
Civil and political rights protect the
freedom and equality of individuals.
International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights 1966
How did civil and political rights become
legally established?
Articles 4-12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21
Give 3 examples of civil and political rights.
Various answers giving specific examples.
Give 3 examples of how civil and political
rights are violated in the world.
What are social, economic and cultural
rights?
Economic rights ensure that individuals have
what they need to live a dignified life. Social
rights deal with the relationships between
individuals and group in society to maintain
equality.
Articles 22-27
Give 3 examples of social, economic and
cultural rights.
Various specific examples should be given.
Give 3 examples of how social, economic
and cultural rights are violated in the world.
How were states divided over ESC rights?
How did ESC rights become legally
established?
How do collective rights differ from the
other 2 categories of rights?
In what way are collective rights a new idea
in the development of human rights?
States were divided over ESC rights because
developed nations feared that they would
have to pay for these rights in developing
nations. (Since ESC rights apply mostly to
developing nations and the governments of
developing nations do not have the wealth
to support them, developed nations were
concerned that they would have to pay for
the implementation of these rights. )
International Covenant on Economic , Social
and Cultural Rights 1966
Collective rights are new (not part of UDHR)
They apply to groups of people or regions
and not just individuals
The world has changed since the UDHR was
written in 1948! There are new needs that
must be covered as human rights.
What ‘new’ rights are proposed by collective Colonised countries that became
rights?
independent in the 1960s suffer from wars,
corruption, underdevelopment, and an
unfair system of international trade. These
countries claim that it is a right of these
peoples to have peace, good government,
development and fair trade.
Secondly, climate change is a phenomenon
that has emerged since the UDHR was
written in 1948. Pollution, carbon emissions
and global warming affects entire regions.
There is a sense that people have a right to a
clean environment.
Why are collective rights still debatable?
There is no International Covenant on
Collective Rights i.e. no international
agreement that requires countries to
translate these rights into law.