There is more of 10 reasons for the importance of human rights . These allow people to live with dignity, equality, justice, freedom and peace.
We all have these rights simply because we are human. They are guaranteed for all, without distinction of any kind, nor by race, color, language, religion, political inclination, sex, different opinions, nationality or social origin, birth, property or any other status.
Human Rights are essential for the full development of individuals and also of their communities.
According to the United Nations,"Human Rights ensure that a human being is able to fully develop and use human qualities such as intelligence, conscience and talent, to meet their needs, whether spiritual, material or otherwise."
You may also want to know these 9 organizations defending human rights highlighted .
10 reasons for the importance of human rights
1- Protect all people
Human rights are important because they reflect the minimum standards necessary for people to live with dignity. Human rights give people the right to choose how they want to live, how to express themselves and what kind of government they want to support, among other things.
In addition, human rights guarantee people who will have the means to meet their basic needs such as food, shelter and education, and that opportunities will be available to all.
They also guarantee life, equality, freedom and security and protect people against abuses by those in positions of greater power.
Human rights are important in the relationships that exist between individuals and the government that exercises power over them. The government has power over people, but human rights express that power is limited.
States should be concerned with solving people's basic needs and protecting some of their freedoms. That is why human rights apply to all people, are protected by law, are internationally guaranteed and can not be taken from any person or group.
2- They are a historical legacy
Throughout history, the concepts of ethical behavior, human dignity and justice have been fundamental for the development of human societies. These ideas can be found in all ancient civilizations from Babylon, India and China.
They were the basis of laws in developed societies such as Greek and Roman and, of course, are central to Doctrines Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and Confucian.
The same importance they have had in other societies and cultures, being transmitted through the oral tradition, as aborigines in Australia and other indigenous societies around the world.
During the Middle Ages , The Renaissance and the Illustration Ideas of justice took special importance in the thinking of philosophers and politicians. An important branch of this approach was the natural law that exists over the laws of all men.
Here began to be considered the concept that individuals have certain rights simply because they are human beings.
Thus, in 1215 in England the King was forced to sign the"Magna Carta", the first document in history that limits the absolute power of the monarchs and makes him responsible to his subjects.
In this"Magna Carta"are some basic rights of protection of citizens, such as the right to a trial.
During the times of revolutions that occurred between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, ideas continued to develop that respect the identity of people, peoples and nations.
In 1776, the Declaration of Independence of the United States Was based on the understanding of these inalienable rights to human beings as"life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness", which are fundamental for all people.
The same happened with the French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizens , Which in 1789 challenged the authority of the aristocracy and the monarchy, recognizing as the rights of all individuals"freedom, equality and fraternity."
Human rights began to emerge in times of many social problems such as the era of slavery, genocide and oppression of governments. The atrocities committed during the Second World War Made clear that previous attempts to protect human rights from government violations were neither adequate nor efficient.
This created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as part of the United Nations emergency. This was the first international document specifying the rights that all people should have.
These are the basic civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all human beings should be able to enjoy. This declaration was ratified unopposed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1948.
When it was adopted, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was not legally binding, although it did have a significant moral weight. That is why, to give this statement a legal weight, the United Nations has prepared two treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The division of these two covenants is artificial, this shows the division of ideologies during the Cold War . Although politicians avoided the creation of a unified treaty, the two pacts are interconnected and the rights contained in a pact are necessary for the fulfillment of the rights contained in the other pact.
These documents together are known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is found in more than 500 languages.
3- They are respected internationally
Human rights are specifically compiled in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and must be respected by all nations in the world. This is essential because it protects people from all types of abuse, unequal treatment or discrimination.
It also allows avoiding practices that go against the dignity of people such as torture, cruel or degrading punishment, slavery or servitude. These acts are prohibited in all its forms.
Article 30 of the International Declaration of Human Rights states that none of the points in the document may be interpreted by any State, person or group, nor may they engage in any activity or action leading to the destruction of any of the rights And freedoms that are stated in the declaration.
4. Provide guarantees to justice to all persons
Thanks to human rights, all people have the right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial tribunal in case they have been accused of committing any crime or offense against any law. This also gives rights and obligations to the person being judged.
Article 11 of the International Declaration of Human Rights explains that anyone accused of a criminal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proved otherwise, according to the laws in a public trial, where he also has all the Guarantees for their defense.
In the second paragraph of the same article, the Declaration of Human Rights continues and expresses that no person should be held or charged with any criminal offense or act of omission that does not constitute a criminal offense under national or international laws, at the time it was task.
Nor should punishments or penalties that are more severe than those applied in a corresponding way to the case of the criminal offense.
5. Protect freedom of religion
One of the rights that people have under the Declaration of Human Rights is freedom of religion. The religious beliefs and thoughts of all individuals should not be questioned, forbidden or ridiculed.
According to Article 18 of the International Declaration of Human Rights, this includes freedom of thought and conscience and to be able to express and express their beliefs individually or in community, publicly or privately.
It is also permitted to teach your religion, practice it, observe its norms and practice your worship rites.
6. Provide protection to the vulnerable sectors of the population
The International Declaration of Human Rights states that no person shall be subjected to unfair or inhuman treatment, that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, such as the right to life, security and freedom.
This is especially important in parts of the world where situations of danger still exist in some sectors of the population, such as women and children who are constantly being subjected to abuse, trafficking, abuse and rape.
It is in these places where the work of the United Nations is fundamental through its Human Rights Council to try to protect these people and obtain their freedom, respect and dignity in all their diversity and expression.
This is achieved by destabilizing tactics of repression, sectarianism and violence in countries where such practices are still routinely carried out, such as in Africa and conflict zones in the Middle East.
7- They gather all the values that are fundamental to live in society
The Declaration of Human Rights specifies values of tolerance, respect and equality that can help reduce the tensions and frictions that occur regularly in society.
Putting human rights into practice begins to build the kind of society in which we all want to live, where the fraternity and the well-being of all people prevail.
In the last century, especially within the World Wars, there were grotesque human rights violations, Holocaust With the creation of concentration camps, where thousands of people considered"inferior"by the German Nazi regime were forced to work in conditions of slavery or exterminated.
Jews, homosexuals, communists, opponents of the ideas of the regime, children, elders were eliminated solely by their existence.
In fact, World War II ended with the destruction of thousands of lives by using atomic bombs for the first time in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To this must be added the millions of people who died from the war, homeless refugees and countries devastated during the conflict.
This is why, within this period, human rights petitions became very present, such as the declaration of the"Four Freedoms"by the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt In 1941, in which they mentioned four aspects that everyone should enjoy: freedom of speech and beliefs and freedom of needs and fear.
Following this, the creation of the United Nations emerged to guarantee fish and security, to promote economic development, to support an international law and to ensure the respect and observance of Human Rights.
Since that time, the protection of human rights has been seen as helping to ensure freedom, justice and peace for all people in the future, preventing abuses, damages and abuses from groups or individuals such as those mentioned above.
8- Human rights can not be withdrawn
No person - regardless of their status or actions - can be removed from their Human Rights. No person, state or group has the power to do this.
This, however, does not mean that human rights abuses and violations do not occur. Unfortunately, we see every day in newspapers and television tragic stories of violence, racism, murder, poverty, abuse and discrimination.
But it does not mean that human rights are only noble aspirations, but legal principles that have even been incorporated into the legal systems of many governments.
This gives people the opportunity to be treated in accordance with the precepts that dictate human rights in their own countries. Laws should always protect people.
9- An international committee may intervene in allegations of human rights abuses and / or violations
The influence of human rights is so important that an individual or a group of people can file a complaint to the United Nations, denouncing the violation of human rights, which must be reviewed and investigated by the relevant committee.
10- Ensure democracy
A democracy Functional, which accommodates the diversity of opinions and people, has a lot to do with human rights. To avoid that the power is concentrated in the hands of a few people and with this rise abuses and abuses, the Democratic system Is the best option.
Most nations have chosen democracy as their preferred form of government. However, the challenge is to continue to improve this system so that it will not only be manifested during the electoral process but will become a joint venture between the people and their government.
References
- Why are human rights important? Retrieved from pearsonpublishing.co.uk.
- Human Rights Basics. Retrieved from theadvocatesforhumanrights.org.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Recovered from un.org.
- The importance of human rights. Recovered from gazette.net.
- The importance of human rights leadership. Retrieved from humanrights.gov.
- An introduction to human rights. Recovered from somethingincommon.humanrights.gov.au.
- The importance of human rights to democracy, governance and development. Retrieved from parliamentarystrengthening.org.