A Brief Note On The United Nations General Assembly Issued The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

Documents to protect them but instead they are violated in the U.S daily . Many

At the core of society are the undeniable rights we are afforded as human beings. These rights are outlined in the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a way to protect each individual’s freedoms. Since its adoption sixty-seven years ago, society and its viewpoints have changed drastically (“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”). Therefore, while at the time the intentions for this document might have been genuine to protect all people, they are no longer sufficient. The lack of inclusion in this document has led to the creation of documents such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

uman rights are defined as “a right that is believed to belong justifiably to every person”. Human Rights are continually evolving and changing for the better, they are constantly reassessed and improved for the world’s greater good. Countless people have tried to define what a Human Right is and who they belong to, but we always seem to come across the same philosophers and documents that truly define Human Rights. John Locke was a famous English philosopher in the seventeenth centaury who believed in natural rights provided by a “higher power”. Another name often associated with Human Rights is Mahatma Gandhi was a famous civil rights activist, particularly known for the steps he took against discrimination in India, and the leader of infamous nonviolent protests for his campaign against discrimination. One of the most infamous documents written about human rights is The UN Declaration of Human Rights was written in 1948, and is one of the most popular references of basic Human Rights.

Throughout the evolution of history in the United States many of our ancestors made it a priority to fight for their rights and the rights of future generations to come. Blood, sweat, and tears were poured out just to have the ability to speak their mind without being punished, to gain respect for themselves as human being, and so much more. It is thought by many that by gaining these rights in society the world will be a better place, in many ways that is true, but on a global scale there are several reasons why that may not be the case. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created to set a generalized form of human rights to all people in the word and is respected by many but unfortunately many countries fail to recognize it simply because of their beliefs and rulings.

The concept that morals are not inherent or universal but are developed by the necessities of a given society at any certain time, as presented in William Graham Sumner’s Folkways, is inadequate and displeasing. While some moral practices are relative to particular cultures, that does not mean that there are no rights that belong to everyone, nor does it mean that just because an activity is practiced that it is morally justifiable. Each human being is entitled to a certain set of liberties, which are outlined in the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” All individuals are supposed to have equal access to these rights, but according to Sumner, all rights are cultural and none are universal.

Rich or poor, black or white, basic human rights are something that everyone deserves and are needed to keep human life fair and just. Fortunately, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was published. This set of laws provides and describes every single right each human is entitled to. All countries are supposed to follow these laws for the integrity and health of their people, but sadly some don’t. The laws around child labor, slavery, and other parts of the declaration are ignored in certain countries. Even in our own country, the rights have been broken, for example, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The KKK was an intense and horrid group whose purpose was to fight for white supremacy.

Social justice is a long debated subject that continues to prove controversial and divisive all over the world. Opinions on what constitutes social justice vary on a continuum from more conservative opinions which note individual responsibility to a more liberal stance which promotes a moral responsibility to support social equality (Mapp, 2008). Despite the varying opinions of what establishes social justice, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) serves as the first step in promoting social justice by outlining the basic rights that should be afforded to humanity (United Nations, n.d.). More specifically, Article 22 of the UDHR states that all people should have access to social security protection that works to provide essential needs, provisions for preserving dignity, and freedom to pursue personal interest (United Nations, n.d.). In spite of the established declaration, social justice remains unavailable for too many people. Worldwide, the lack of social protection leads to 1.4 billion people struggling to meet their essential needs due to lack of access to resources which promote a decent standard of living. Another 100 million fall into poverty due to unforeseen complications (GIPSPSI, 2011). Therefore, there is a crucial need to recognize social protection as a human right in order to guarantee equal access to basic services and equal opportunity to all of humankind.

In accordance with article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in 1948, American citizens are entitled to, "the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services..." (Universal Declaration of Human Rights). This declaration also goes on to give a special mention to mothers and children, and their need for additional assistance. With this in mind, states commonly have many health policies to protect these human rights described in the above declaration. However, some states go against this declaration by restricting access to certain health services, namely abortion, on the basis of moral, political, or religious objection. In the following pages the topic of reproductive rights will be broached, and the associated cases that are centered on both sides of the issue will be discussed.

The mistreatment of women in the Middle East desecrates the human rights Americans claim all should have. In the second article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “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.” 203 countries around the world recognize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and are apart of the United Nations organization itself, if 203 countries agree to govern and provide the rights the Declaration states, then why must women in certain regions receive permission

In 2013, the parents of an Amish girl with leukemia decided to refuse further chemotherapy for her and rely on “natural remedies” instead. The state of Ohio responded by taking the family to court to attempt to force the girl into chemotherapy, which they argued was necessary to save her life. The court ruled in favor of the government, and in response the family fled the country, arguing that the treatment violated their cultural and religious norms, and there was no assurance that it would be effective. This case brings up several complicated issues of human rights that implicate principles from the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Declaration of the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, Convention on the Rights of a Child, Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The situation of the Ohio Amish family spotlights a potential for conflict between the principles of protecting religious and cultural minorities, allowing for freedom of belief and autonomy over one’s own body, and the rights of a child to both her own religion and culture and to access the same standard of healthcare available to others in her country. In this particular situation, resolving the conflict is a matter of life and death: is it more important to be surrounded by one’s own culture and religion, or to have potentially life saving health care treatment? While I

that everyone is equal and should be treated the same. Not one person is better than another, and

Freedom, Webster's dictionary defines freedom as the power or right to speak, act or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. I believe that freedom is the fundamental right that all humans are born with regardless of their status or whatever label that has been put on them. Freedom is what unites all people in the sense that we are all free to make whatever we want of ourselves; to do, say and think what we please without any unjust consequence. In the opening words of the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the United Nations composed, it states “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all the members of the human family is the foundation of freedom.” In other words,

A human right is a right that is believed to justifiably belong to every person. A violation of these rights can result in punishment for your violation from the United Nations. After their Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, a premise was now set about what was considered a violation of human rights, and anyone could be tried in official court. This document was created after the atrocities involving World War II and the Holocaust, in an attempt to stop events like genocide and ethnic cleansing, as well as war crimes, from happening in the future. However, this document proved ineffective in relation to the events in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. During this time, around 25 percent of the total population of Cambodia was killed by the Khmer Rouge to complete their societal goal of an “agrarian paradise.” The world’s reaction to the Cambodian genocide and the Holocaust were strangely different. After the Holocaust, the Nuremberg trials were created in order to try Nazi leaders for their war crimes, and most of the influential leaders and doctors were executed. However, barely anyone in the Khmer Rouge regime has been put on trial, let alone sentenced to death.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted in 1948 and one of the articles, article XXVI deals with protection of the fundamental rights, right to education:

The Universal Declaration of Human rights was adopted in the UN general assembly by the 10th December 1948. This is the first time that the world recognized that everyone had the right to enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom from fear and want, and many other rights. International human rights come along way; before there was no rights. The idea of having rights that led to the development of international human rights takes time. There are benchmarks developments in international human rights that pre-date the UDHR. The UDHR benchmark includes the following topic :The Magna Carta, Treaty of Westphalia (1648) , French and US revolution(18th century), and lastly, the World War I and World War II. Each of the benchmarks contributed on shaping our current conception of international human rights.