Universal Human Rights? Essay

For example, in Confucianism, the government is designed around a ridged hierarchy. For a Confucian society to function properly, everyone must understand their rank and act accordingly. Citizens were required to put blind faith in and pledge unwavering loyalty to their superiors and government. In the same way, in an effort to improve the overall strength of society, the Communist Party of China (CPC) ranks their interests above the interests of their citizens. Given this superior mindset, the government feels duty bound and even righteous in their punishment of journalists whose writings may endangers the party’s continuation. Recently, French journalist, Ursula Gauthier, was forced to leave China after writing an investigative piece about a Muslim region in western China. From a western perspective, this banishment seems completely unjustified as openness to new and old knowledge is celebrated as is dissent, investigation, and inquiry. But, considering the CPC’s singular focus on their notion of societal good, this decision is understandable, if not valid. In

“Ideas about human rights have evolved over many centuries. But they achieved strong international support following the Holocaust and World War II. To protect future generations from a repeat of these horrors, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948 and invited states to sign and ratify it”

Human rights can be summarized as the activities and freedoms that all human beings are entitled to enjoy and only by virtue of their humanity. These conditions are generally guaranteed in the constitution of the land. They are widely felt in the area as they are divided and not limited to political, social economic and cultural rights. Some of the main principles of human rights include the fact that they are inherent, inalienable and indivisible as well. In this relation, human rights can never be taken away from an individual whereby the enjoyment of one right should not infringe the enjoyment of other. They must all be respected and maintained.

In both history and present day, many human rights violations have occurred in countries residing within the UN. Despite the attempts that international influence created through the UN, many countries such as the Soviet Union conducted serious human rights violations through attempts to quell uprisings or anti-government movements. Even in the present day, countries such as North Korea and China have been committing drastic human rights violations, despite existing within the United Nations. Because of these facts, it can be concluded that international influence does not necessarily create better human

Rhonda L. Callaway’s article explores the idea that Western orientated human rights are not suited to Eastern Asian societies. Callaway discusses how Asian societies prefer to follow a less individualistic approach to life, instead focusing on the family and community, placing them in a position opposed to Western customs and rights. Yet, criticisms of the notion of ‘Asian Values’ are also included, one such criticism labelling it an excuse for the state to repress rights.

Imagine. Imagine having the continuous feeling of needing to act a certain way because that is what the government wants. Imagine having to worship in an underground church because of belonging to the "wrong" religion. Imagine being blind and not being able to learn because the government cannot accept a disability. Lastly, imagine being killed because of simply disagreeing. This is everyday life in China for many people because of what the Communist Chinese government has caused for decades. Human Rights Abuse in China has caused millions of deaths and permanent injuries. In 1979, the One Child Policy was created and ever since then the abuse has escalated into being a normal part of lives. On June 4 1989, the government took the abuse to a whole other level. This fateful day was called the Tiananmen Square crackdown. This was the day of millions of deaths. China's government truly takes human rights violations to an extreme and has caused fear among their people. The government has previously claimed

In time, China was hoped to find that social and political freedom is the only basis of that greatness. The United States has helped nurture this change by cooperating with China where possible, without allowing the differences that do exist, such as human rights, and nonproliferation commitments to interfere.

The past continues to influence our world today through many things relating to the rights of humans as a nation. In spite of the idea of mankind's privileges may be abstract, how it is connected needs to be regulated with respect to every day term overall. Millions had endured law violations against mankind. A huge number that's only the tip of the iceberg work done reinforced work. In a decade alone, dictator standard need precluded common and political liberties to billions. An ornament sizeable structure is being developed. Governments are struggle to dormant mortal claim domestically and out, and are partnering with organizations to do so. An excise on the go and decentralized screeching of civil-society bent is additionally to involved in the effort. The basic to furnish individuals with sufficient general human services is emphatically installed over the globe, and considerable assets have been committed to the test. The privilege to flexibility from subjection and constrained work has additionally been incorporated into universal and national organizations, and has profited from prominent weight to battle constrained work. At last, the relentless collection of human rights related traditions has urged most states to accomplish more to execute restricting enactment in their rights. In the long haul, reinforcing the human rights administration will require a widened and lifted United Nations rights design. A relentless coalition between the world to blend political and monetary rights inside fair establishments will likewise be important. Meanwhile, provincial associations and other institutions must assume a bigger part from the base up, and rising forces must accomplish more to lead. Together, these progressions are the world's best seek after strong and general delight in human

China's record of human rights violations is long and mind-boggling. Atrocities such as purging tens of millions of people during the Cultural Revolution, its infamous one-child-per-couple Population Policy, persistent oppression of Tibet and the bloody June 4 massacre at Tienanmen Square in 1989 have given the Chinese government a reputation of having little respect for human life. And yet, despite its tarnished record, China maintains its Most Favoured Nation trade status with the US and is one of Canada's top ten recipients of bilateral trade. As supposed supporters of human rights, Canadian and US governments have developed hypocritical attitudes toward China, compromising ethical values for material gain. Instead, North American

The People’s Republic of China with a population 1.3 billion, is the third largest country in the world and has a land size of 960,000 square kilometres. It is a rapidly growing economy, with living standards being raised every year. However, human rights violations are still a part of daily life in some part of China and can still be seen in the present time. The most controversial issues include discrimination, right to live and not to be subject to torture, freedom of religion, opinion, to fair public hearing, rights to family and the right of movement. (The Consulate General of The People's Republic of China, 2003),(Infoplease, 2009)

Tibet has been for more than a decade, a place where some of the most horrendous human right violations have been committed by the Chinese government. Unfortunately, gross violations of human rights remain a continuing feature of the relationship between Tibet and China. Various governments, The United Nations, and organizations such as Free Tibet have brought attention to the issue. It is crucial, that measures for putting effective pressure on China to adhere to international human rights conventions must be a key component to change the situation. There needs to be reforms that would make the international community aware of the situation. These reforms may include higher taxes, having less trade with China and promoting the human right awareness in the U. N. This can hopefully not only bring attention to this very important human rights issue, but would add pressure on the Chinese government.

Yu Hua presents interpretations of classical Chinese culture as fluid, fundamentally dependent on the surrounding political context. China has always placed a great emphasis on the concept of the ‘people’, turning it into an abstract concept that forms the basis of the worldview. Consequently, the understanding of the term shifted as China moved from Maoist to a more market-oriented state.

However, this is debated which I will go into more detail later on. It had the inspiration to promote friendly relations between nations and it is emphasised that all nations should cooperate. Though, this can be said to be naive as to go as far to declare that all countries abide by the Declaration and that it is universal is mistaken. What does it mean to be universal? The concept believes that human rights belong to all human being and that it is fundamental and essential to every type of society. Those who disagree that human rights are universal believe that human rights are based on your culture, it has to be understood that a right for one group maybe outright intolerable to members of another group. Human rights are being viewed as being too ‘Western’ and representing specific cultural norms and belief system of some cultures and societies rather than all. This is the cultural relativist argument, the belief that human rights cannot be applied to non-Western nations. The belief has been endorsed by many political leaders, Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew suggested that the ‘Western concepts of democracy and human rights will not work in Asia, by explaining that the West is too individualistic compared to family-orientated Asia. ‘What Asians value may not necessarily be what Americans or Europeans value? Westerners value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As an Asian of Chinese cultural background, my values are for a government which is

The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights stands as the current gold standard for every individual’s rights. Focusing on culture, one may see that cultural rights are not clearly defined and are oftentimes in conflict with other types of rights. In this paper, I will first discuss the United Nations’ use of ‘cultural’ in its universal human rights in relation to the concept of cultural relativism. Then, using South African and American practices, such as virginity testing and discriminatory criminal justice system respectively, I will describe and analyze practices violate the UN’s universal human rights in addition to the practices’ use for the community or society as a whole. Lastly, I will compare the American Anthropological Association’s rights to culture to the UN’s universal human rights by analyzing the limitations of each.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” These opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights express a concept of man which underpins the framework of human rights embodied in the Universal Declaration and the two international covenants of Human Rights. Western political traditions is a concept that it derives from, is in harmony with moral and social teachings to be found in many other traditions and patterns of belief.