Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of sex, race, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. They include economic, social, cultural, civil, and economic rights, including the right to equality, life, free speech, property, and security, as well as freedom from discrimination, slavery, and torture, among others.
There are various organizations that protect human rights, such as the United Nations (UN), international rights groups, and governments. They enact and uphold laws in regards to civil liberty versus civil rights and determine actions to ensure that these liberties are granted to people–and that violations of civil rights are humanely punished.
You can also consult the top civil rights attorneys at Strom Law Firm to better understand your human rights and determine if they have been suppressed in any way.
What Are Human Rights?
Human rights are rights we have simply because we are human beings–they are standards that recognize and protect the dignity and humanity of all persons. These rights govern how individuals live in society and among each other, as well as how the State acts to uphold them. Both governments and individuals have obligations to safeguard and respect these rights, and no one has the power to do anything that violates the rights of another.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document drafted by representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds around the world to set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1948 as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and nations, and has since been translated into more than 500 languages.
The UDHR outlines thirty basic human rights:
- Right to equality
- Freedom from discrimination
- Right to life, liberty, and personal security
- Freedom from slavery
- Freedom from torture and degrading treatment
- Right to recognition as a person before the law
- Right to equality before the law
- Right to remedy by competent tribunal
- Freedom from arbitrary arrest and exile
- Right to fair public hearing
- Right to be considered innocent until proven guilty
- Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home, and correspondence
- Right to free movement in and out of the country
- Right to asylum in other countries from persecution
- Right to a nationality and the freedom to change It
- Right to marriage and family
- Right to own property
- Freedom of belief and religion
- Freedom of opinion and information
- Right of peaceful assembly and association
- Right to participate in government and free elections
- Right to social security
- Right to desirable work and to join trade unions
- Right to rest and leisure
- Right to adequate living standard
- Right to education
- Right to participate in the cultural life of community
- Right to a social order that articulates the UDHR
- Community duties essential to free and full development
- Freedom from state or personal interference in the UDHR
Characteristics of Human Rights
Universal and Inalienable
Everyone is equally entitled to human rights. No one can voluntarily give them up, nor can they be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process.
Indivisible and Interdependent
No right can be enjoyed fully without the other. They are indivisible—all inherent to the dignity of every human being. They are all equal as rights; there is no hierarchy among them.
Equal and Non-Discriminatory
All humans are entitled to their rights without discrimination of any kind. As Article 1 of the UDHR states: “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Participative and Inclusive
Each person is entitled to free, active, and meaningful participation in and contribution to their development, through which their human rights can be realized.
What Happens if My Human Rights Are Violated?
States and other dutiful organizations must comply with the legal standards that accompany human rights. They must work to protect them and, when they fail to do so, must be dealt with in accordance with the law. If you believe your human rights have been suppressed in any way, ask for help from the best lawyers at Strom Law Firm to fight for your fundamental freedom.
