Human rights

Human rights are a matter of course for our society today. But when it comes to defining them, many of us find it difficult. But what are human rights anyway? Human rights are those rights to which every human being is equally entitled because of his or her human nature.

Development 

In 1948, the then 56 member states of the UN for the first time defined rights to which every person in the world should be entitled. This is how the most well-known human rights document “The General Declaration of Human Rights” (UDHR) was created, which at the same time forms the basis for international human rights protection. Previously, the issue of human rights was only a matter of the respective national constitution. The motivation for regulation at the international level was to ensure security and peace after the two world wars.

In this declaration, 30 articles were defined, which for the first time in human history should apply to everyone - regardless of nationality, religion, gender, age etc. Important elements of the UDHR are, for example, the right to life and freedom, the prohibition of torture, Slavery and the slave trade, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, etc. In 1966, the UN also issued two further agreements: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Together with the UDHR they form the “International Bill of Human Rights”. In addition, there are additional UN conventions, such as the Geneva Refugee Convention or the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Dimensions and duties related to human rights

The individual human rights from these agreements can basically be divided into 3 dimensions. The first dimension depicts all political and civil liberties. Dimension two consists of economic, social and cultural human rights. The collective rights (rights of groups) in turn form the third dimension.

The addressee of these human rights is the individual state, which has to adhere to certain obligations. The first duty of states is the duty to respect, that is, states must respect human rights. The duty to protect is the second duty that states must adhere to. You have to prevent human rights violations, and if there has already been a violation, the state has to provide compensation. The third duty of states is to create conditions for realizing human rights (obligation to guarantee).

Further regulations and agreements

In addition to the states, the Human Rights Council in Geneva and numerous NGOs (e.g. Human Rights Watch) also check compliance with human rights. Human Rights Watch uses the international public to draw attention to human rights violations on the one hand and to put pressure on political decision-makers on the other. In addition to internationally regulated human rights, there are other regional human rights agreements and institutions, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, the African Charter of Human Rights and the Rights of the Peoples and the American Convention on Human Rights.

Human rights are important long-won principles. Without them there would be no right to education, no freedom of expression or religion, no protection from violence, persecution and much more. Despite the far-reaching conception of human rights, violations and disregards of human rights take place every day, even in Western countries. International observation, detection and reporting of such incidents is carried out primarily by NGOs (in particular Amnesty International) and shows that, despite the establishment of rights, a corresponding control of compliance is necessary.

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