The Timeline of human rights Has a relatively recent origin in the history of mankind. Its definitive origin dates from the end of World War II as a way to generate global awareness on the rights of human beings by virtue of their well-being.
Throughout human history, people gradually acquired certain rights and responsibilities, particularly when they were part of a particular group (a family, an indigenous community, a religion, a social class, a community or a state) . These rights and responsibilities were considered unswerving rules of gold.
In this way, for example, the Hindus created the Vedas and the Babylonians the Hammurabi Code, in turn were written the Bible, the Koran and the Analects of Confucius.
All these texts are the oldest sources of attention to issues related to people's obligations, rights and responsibilities (Rights U. f., 2017).
The Incas Y Aztecs They also created codes of conduct and justice that ensured the well-being of people based on certain agreements endorsed by culture.
All these codes had their origin before the eighteenth century and compiled in a written form the tradition of societies to ensure justice, health and welfare of all individuals.
Precursors of Human Rights
The precursor documents of what we know today as human rights are the Magna Carta (1215), the English Bill of Rights (1689), the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens (1789) and the Constitution and Bill of Rights United States (1791) (Rights, 2017).
United States Bill of Rights (1791)
However, many of these documents were originally used as laws excluding women, people of color and members of certain religious, economic and political groups.
However, the Historically oppressed people In the world have come to the principles described in these documents to support the revolutions that sought the right to self-determination.
The International Law of Human Rights and the creation of the United Nations (UN), have remarkable historical references.
The efforts that took place during the nineteenth century to prohibit slavery, trafficking in persons and to limit the errors of war are some examples of this history.
In 1919, the countries of the world established International Labor Organization (ILO) with the aim of protecting workers and respecting their rights, including their health and safety.
Concern over the protection of certain minorities was attended by the League of Nations once World War I ended.
Despite this, this organization that sought peace and international cooperation, never achieved its objectives.
Finally, the League of Nations failed to thrive because the United States refused to participate in it after the League failed to prevent Japan's invasion of China and Manchuria (1931) and Italy's attack on Ethiopia (1935) . Finally, the League died when the Second World War broke out (1939).
Birth of the UN
The concept of human rights became stronger after the Second World War . The extermination carried out by the Germans of about six million Jews, Sinti Gypsies and Roma, homosexuals and disabled people, horrified the world.
In this way, trials were held in Nuremberg and Tokyo after the war, and the officers of the defeated countries were punished for committing war crimes, crimes against peace and crimes against humanity (Monnet, s.f.).
It was then that governments committed themselves to the creation of United Nations (UN), with the primary objective of promoting international peace and preventing conflict.
The people wanted to make sure that the right to life, liberty, food, shelter and nationality would never be unjustly denied to any individual (Nations, 2017).
The The essence of these emerging human rights Was captured by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the State of the Union Address, where he spoke about a world that was based on four essential freedoms: freedom of the press, freedom of belief, freedom to live without pain and freedom to live without fear.
In this way, international voices were raised that sought to protect human rights. Thus in 1945 the first draft of the UN was made in the city of San Francisco.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The UN member states pledged to promote the Respect for human rights . To fulfill this objective, the UN established the International Commission on Human Rights and made it responsible for the task of drafting a document to define the fundamental rights and freedoms proclaimed in the Charter.
On 10 December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the 56 members of the UN. The vote was unanimous, although eight nations decided to abstain from voting (Liberty, s.f.).
This statement is known as the International Magna Carta and includes relevant information on how nations should treat their citizens as a legitimate issue of international concern and concern.
It is thus claimed that rights are all interdependent, indivisible and recognize the dignity and equality inherent in all members of humanity, in order to seek their freedom, justice and world peace.
Today, this charter of rights is embodied in the constitution of more than 185 nations of the world, all members of the UN.
Eleanor Roosevelt with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Although the declaration is not legally a document that can regulate a nation's regulations, it has become a vital document for the regulation of international laws and is considered as a common standard that aims to achieve the well-being of all people in all the nations.
There are two conventions that were subsequently created by the International Commission on Human Rights to ensure their fulfillment.
One convention deals with civil and political rights and the other with respect to the economic, social and cultural rights of individuals (Rayner, 2017).
These two conventions, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, make up the whole of human rights as they are known today.
You may be interested Organizations that defend human rights .
References
- (S.f.). Liberty. Retrieved from The History of Human Rights: liberty-human-rights.org.uk
- Minnesota, U. of. (S.f.). Human Rights Here and Now. Retrieved from"A Short History of Human Rights": library.umn.edu.
- Nations, U. (2017). United Nations. Obtained from History of the Document: un.org
- Rayner, M. (2017). History of Human Rights. Obtained from HISTORY OF UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS - UP TO WW2: universalrights.net.
- Rights, U. f. (2017). United for Human Rights. Retrieved from"A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS: humanrights.com.
- Rights, Y. F. (2017). Youth For Human Rights. Retrieved from"A LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND OF HUMAN RIGHTS: youthforhumanrights.org.