HUMAN RIGHTS
Inalienable moral entitlements. . .
Attach to all persons equally. . .
Specify the minimum conditions for human dignity and a tolerable life. . .
Government and rights
“The AmericanDeclaration ofIndependence. . .is quiteclear that rights are notsecure without an actualgovernment to enforcethem.”
Jeremy A. Rabkin
WHAT HUMAN RIGHTS DO
Define government power
What government cannot do
What government must do
Challenge exercise of power
Contribute to government’s legitimacy and reputation
Human rights/civil rights
Human rights: human attributes
Civil rights: government-recognized
Constitutions
Statutes
How are human rights and civil rights linked?
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Catalogue of rights
Normative and prescriptive
Not legally binding
Not necessarily consistent with views/practices of nations
ACTIVITY I
Working in small groups, identify what you think
are the eight most important rights in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
why. If you cannot agree on eight, list the
candidates for inclusion and why you could not
agree on them.
Assumptions
World is “human family”
Rights are foundation of freedom, justice, peace
Everyone has duty to teach, educate, promote human rights
Activity II
Reflecting first on your own, and using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as your guide, evaluate the state of human rights in Your town or city Your state The United States An area/nation of the world
Join in small groups. Compare your lists and discuss points of agreement/disagreement and why.
NGO’s and human rights
Long history
Dramatic growth since UN created
UN Declaration, Article 71, encourages
TODAY
INGO (international) BINGO (big/business) RINGO (religious) ENGO (environmental) TANGO (technical assistance)
WANGO: World Association of NGO’s!
Human rights NGO’s
Duke University web site:
http://library.duke.edu/research/subject/guides/ngo_guide/ngo_links/rights.html
Where. . . do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. . . Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.
Eleanor Roosevelt
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