1a) Human rights
Human right act established at the UN general assembly on the 10th December
1948
Human rights council is an inter-governing council within the UN made up 47
states that promote and protect the human rights all over the world.
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are
entitled to
• They applicable at all times, in all places and protect everyone equally
without discrimination on race, gender, religion, nationality, place of
residence, ethnic residence, language or any other status
• Distribution - most extreme risk countries are in the Middle East (Syria
most), south Asia, north east of Africa. Europe and Canada least at risk
Human right norms
• Practices established by countries and now integrated in their culture and
accepted as norms
• Helped establish universal declaration of human rights and are protected
by international law
• Not all countries adhere
Declaration - agreement is accepted but not legally binding
Convention - agreement between different states that is legally binding and
under international law
Signing a treaty - shows an intent by state to comply with the agreement
Ratifying a treaty - state consents to be legally bound to the treaty and creates
legislation to enforce these laws
Intervention
• If convention is ratified the country is legally bound to do all they can to
uphold it by establishing nationwide legislation and committee to
monitor progress
• If this is not met other countries can intervene
• This is intervention is designed to end violations of human rights that are
occurring
1. Military force
• In extreme cases
• Peacekeeping troops sent to promote stability and prevent further
violations
• Permission given by UN council
• More active than passive - controversial
• Disadvantages
o Possible that civilians can get caught up in the fire
o Can create more refugees
o Might not be sustainable/ good in the long term - can become
overdependent
o Can trigger more violations
o Often have an ulterior motive, benefitting someone else
, o Can cause bigger divides
• Advantages
o Halts violations and injustices
o Allows for political stability
o Allows for communities to re-establish themselves
o Enables countries to develop - with war other priorities
o Reduces exodus of refugees - population/skills leaving
UN peacekeeping
• Non-militant passive approach to calm situations
• Countries can become over reliant on aid and support
• Troops and key workers from member states
• No violence - to empower groups to improve rights
• Can advise governments
• Monitor, protect, promote and empower population
Political intervention
• Often through economic trade/ sanctions
• Stopping trade (embargoes) or have to pay fines
Global governance of human rights - complex and multifaceted
• Can involve direct physical intervention as well as the appearance of
growing human rights norms
Geopolitics
• Global balance of political power and international relations
• Pattern of political power is closely related to economic power, esp. in
terms of relative wealth and international trade strength of nations and
groups of nations
• Contemporary geopolitical power has uneven spatial distribution and
viewed from different perspectives
• There are inequalities in power between states depending on wealth,
political strength and development (ACs, EDCs, LIDCs)
• Supranational political and economic organisations such as UN, EU,
ASEAN etc. exert greater geopolitical influence than their individual
member states
• Due to globalisation MNCs exert great influence on countries in which
they invest in
Geopolitics of intervention in human rights need understanding of:
• Political composition of the groups involved in intervention
• Nature of intervention
• Reasons why intervention has been deemed necessary
• Characteristics of the country, government and people affected
• Possible political, socio-economic and environmental consequences of
intervention/global governance
• Complexity of human rights and their spatial patterns
1b) human rights violations
, Maternal mortality rate (MMR)
• Death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of
pregnancy
• Annual number of death per 100,000 live births
• 2013 290,000 women died most occurring in sub-Saharan Africa
• Sierra Leone 1100 - Belarus 1
• Majority of these deaths are preventable so not just a matter of
development but human rights
• These rights are legally protected by international human rights treaties
such as the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination
against women (CEDAW)
Economic factors
• Poverty
• Access to treatments for pregnancy and birth complications esp.
emergency care
• Quality of medical services, exp. Provision of skilled attendance at birth
Political factors
• Level of political commitment and government investment
• Various laws (denying abortion)
• Child brides should be illegal
Social factors
• Cultural factors that affect discrimination
• Addressing health issues prior to birth
• Education of population
• Improving women's right
• Many women denied professional care because of the assumption that
they're exaggerating pain, should be painful. Women aren't listened to and
overlooked when announcing problems
Forced labour
• 45.8 million people are still enslaved throughout the world.
• Private economy generates US$150 billion in illegal profits
• Children that are denied education because they are forces to work
• Women and girls exploited as unpaid, abused domestic workers
• Men unable to leave work because of unpaid debts
• Global distribution is uneven - no region unaffected
• Southeast Asia highest incidence with 11.7mil in 2012
Economic factors
• Poverty
• Lack of economic opportunities and unemployment
• Low wages
• Subsistence farming
• Migration and seeking work
Political factors
• Political instability
• Conflict
• Breakdown of rule of law
• Corruption
Human right act established at the UN general assembly on the 10th December
1948
Human rights council is an inter-governing council within the UN made up 47
states that promote and protect the human rights all over the world.
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are
entitled to
• They applicable at all times, in all places and protect everyone equally
without discrimination on race, gender, religion, nationality, place of
residence, ethnic residence, language or any other status
• Distribution - most extreme risk countries are in the Middle East (Syria
most), south Asia, north east of Africa. Europe and Canada least at risk
Human right norms
• Practices established by countries and now integrated in their culture and
accepted as norms
• Helped establish universal declaration of human rights and are protected
by international law
• Not all countries adhere
Declaration - agreement is accepted but not legally binding
Convention - agreement between different states that is legally binding and
under international law
Signing a treaty - shows an intent by state to comply with the agreement
Ratifying a treaty - state consents to be legally bound to the treaty and creates
legislation to enforce these laws
Intervention
• If convention is ratified the country is legally bound to do all they can to
uphold it by establishing nationwide legislation and committee to
monitor progress
• If this is not met other countries can intervene
• This is intervention is designed to end violations of human rights that are
occurring
1. Military force
• In extreme cases
• Peacekeeping troops sent to promote stability and prevent further
violations
• Permission given by UN council
• More active than passive - controversial
• Disadvantages
o Possible that civilians can get caught up in the fire
o Can create more refugees
o Might not be sustainable/ good in the long term - can become
overdependent
o Can trigger more violations
o Often have an ulterior motive, benefitting someone else
, o Can cause bigger divides
• Advantages
o Halts violations and injustices
o Allows for political stability
o Allows for communities to re-establish themselves
o Enables countries to develop - with war other priorities
o Reduces exodus of refugees - population/skills leaving
UN peacekeeping
• Non-militant passive approach to calm situations
• Countries can become over reliant on aid and support
• Troops and key workers from member states
• No violence - to empower groups to improve rights
• Can advise governments
• Monitor, protect, promote and empower population
Political intervention
• Often through economic trade/ sanctions
• Stopping trade (embargoes) or have to pay fines
Global governance of human rights - complex and multifaceted
• Can involve direct physical intervention as well as the appearance of
growing human rights norms
Geopolitics
• Global balance of political power and international relations
• Pattern of political power is closely related to economic power, esp. in
terms of relative wealth and international trade strength of nations and
groups of nations
• Contemporary geopolitical power has uneven spatial distribution and
viewed from different perspectives
• There are inequalities in power between states depending on wealth,
political strength and development (ACs, EDCs, LIDCs)
• Supranational political and economic organisations such as UN, EU,
ASEAN etc. exert greater geopolitical influence than their individual
member states
• Due to globalisation MNCs exert great influence on countries in which
they invest in
Geopolitics of intervention in human rights need understanding of:
• Political composition of the groups involved in intervention
• Nature of intervention
• Reasons why intervention has been deemed necessary
• Characteristics of the country, government and people affected
• Possible political, socio-economic and environmental consequences of
intervention/global governance
• Complexity of human rights and their spatial patterns
1b) human rights violations
, Maternal mortality rate (MMR)
• Death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of
pregnancy
• Annual number of death per 100,000 live births
• 2013 290,000 women died most occurring in sub-Saharan Africa
• Sierra Leone 1100 - Belarus 1
• Majority of these deaths are preventable so not just a matter of
development but human rights
• These rights are legally protected by international human rights treaties
such as the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination
against women (CEDAW)
Economic factors
• Poverty
• Access to treatments for pregnancy and birth complications esp.
emergency care
• Quality of medical services, exp. Provision of skilled attendance at birth
Political factors
• Level of political commitment and government investment
• Various laws (denying abortion)
• Child brides should be illegal
Social factors
• Cultural factors that affect discrimination
• Addressing health issues prior to birth
• Education of population
• Improving women's right
• Many women denied professional care because of the assumption that
they're exaggerating pain, should be painful. Women aren't listened to and
overlooked when announcing problems
Forced labour
• 45.8 million people are still enslaved throughout the world.
• Private economy generates US$150 billion in illegal profits
• Children that are denied education because they are forces to work
• Women and girls exploited as unpaid, abused domestic workers
• Men unable to leave work because of unpaid debts
• Global distribution is uneven - no region unaffected
• Southeast Asia highest incidence with 11.7mil in 2012
Economic factors
• Poverty
• Lack of economic opportunities and unemployment
• Low wages
• Subsistence farming
• Migration and seeking work
Political factors
• Political instability
• Conflict
• Breakdown of rule of law
• Corruption
