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First Generation Human Rights vs. Second Generation Human Rights

Decent Essays

In her article, “The International Law of Human Rights,” Debra DeLaet explains that the United Nations differentiates between civil and political rights (first generation rights), and economic, social and cultural rights (second generation rights). While both sets of rights are vital to ensure basic human rights in any society, second generation rights are more essential in enabling people to lead dignified lives. At least some version of first generation rights are guaranteed to citizens of most democratic societies. In contrast, economic, social and cultural rights – although fundamental to individual dignity and well-being – are not applied equally without discrimination in even the most affluent democracies like the United States, …show more content…

This is unsettling to some states because by guaranteeing these rights, their citizens would have opportunities to become more informed and empowered, and to potententially attempt to change the established socio-political order.
It is hard to argue that the right to food is not essential to human life. The right to education could actually be economically beneficial to a given state, and it empowers people to take more control over their own lives. How can people live with dignity, let alone benefit from civil or political rights, when they cannot read and are hungry? Without the right to education, people cannot make informed decisions or contribute to political and civil society.
States may fear that if their citizens are educated, the pre-existing government would lose power because more people would want to participate civil life or in politics. Many countries felt threatened by the UN’s increasing emphasis on human rights, claiming their internal state affairs are no one else’s business and fearing loss sovereignty. Some state governments associate the education of their people to sparking the growth of democracy and even possibly capitalism in their country. This is one of the main reasons why states have trouble agreeing to a whole list or covenant set out by the UN.
Civil and political rights are less empowering to the citizenry as a collective whole, and are relatively simple changes for states to make internally.

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