Human Rights
Human rights= basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are entitled (protect
everyone equally without discrimination)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN general assembly in
1948 and outlines human rights
Eg; Article 5= no one should be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment
However often these human rights are not adhered to
Human rights norms= human rights that established within countries over time, the UDHR
was based on these
There are increasing amounts of other human rights treaties eg;
The UN convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which describes what a child needs
to survive and achieve its full potential
- Despite this there are still high numbers of infant mortality in some areas eg; Mali has
106.5 deaths/ 1000 live births (the UK has 4.5)
- The UN argues that if the country is not doing everything it can to prevent these
deaths, it is not only health matter but a human rights concern
The UNDHR is binding and protected by international law, meaning humanitarian
intervention can be used where human rights are broken (this is where military force is used
to end human rights violations).
- The UN security council is the only body that can legally authorise the use of force
- Humanitarian intervention is hugely controversial as although it can stop human
rights violations it can also lead to injuries or death to civilians
The UN security council draws on resources from other countries militaries such as the
USAs, international organisations such as NATO or international NGOs such as the Red
Cross. Non-military intervention is also used eg; economic sanctions
Geopolitics= the global balance of political power and international relations
, Human rights abuses:
Article 5= no one should be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment
Article 3= everyone has the right to life, liberty and security
- Use of capital punishment contradicts this, the UN general assembly has called for an
end to the death penalty
- The death penalty is used by 29 states in the USA (opposed by human rights groups
such as amnesty international)
- Thought to be cruel as there have been many botched executions where the prisoner is
forced to suffer for a long period of time before they die
Eg; In Arizona, it took Joseph Wood two hours to die after being injected
- China conducts the most executions per year of any country in the world
Article 3= everyone has the right to life, liberty and security
- Forced labour, described by the international labour organisation (ILO) as situations
in which a person if forced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or
through more subtle means such as the accumulation of debt
- It is estimated that globally 21 million people are victims of forced labour (11.4
million of whom are female and 2 million of them are exploited by state or rebel
groups)
- South East Asia, India and the DRC have rates of 0.75% + of their population
enslaved
- In Uzbekistan there is a state sponsorship of modern slavery during the cotton harvest,
using threats such as school expulsion or social benefit removal
Article 3= everyone has the right to life, liberty and security
Maternal mortality rate= the number of mothers per 100,000 live births that die within 42
days of termination or pregnancy
- In 2013 globally 289,000 women died during or following childbirth
- Sub-Saharan Africa was worst affected, eg; in Sierra Leone MMR= 1100/ 100,000
live births (in comparison Belarus has 1/100,000)
- Thought to be a human rights issue as they are preventable
- The Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women aims
to prevent this further
Human rights= basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are entitled (protect
everyone equally without discrimination)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN general assembly in
1948 and outlines human rights
Eg; Article 5= no one should be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment
However often these human rights are not adhered to
Human rights norms= human rights that established within countries over time, the UDHR
was based on these
There are increasing amounts of other human rights treaties eg;
The UN convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which describes what a child needs
to survive and achieve its full potential
- Despite this there are still high numbers of infant mortality in some areas eg; Mali has
106.5 deaths/ 1000 live births (the UK has 4.5)
- The UN argues that if the country is not doing everything it can to prevent these
deaths, it is not only health matter but a human rights concern
The UNDHR is binding and protected by international law, meaning humanitarian
intervention can be used where human rights are broken (this is where military force is used
to end human rights violations).
- The UN security council is the only body that can legally authorise the use of force
- Humanitarian intervention is hugely controversial as although it can stop human
rights violations it can also lead to injuries or death to civilians
The UN security council draws on resources from other countries militaries such as the
USAs, international organisations such as NATO or international NGOs such as the Red
Cross. Non-military intervention is also used eg; economic sanctions
Geopolitics= the global balance of political power and international relations
, Human rights abuses:
Article 5= no one should be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment
Article 3= everyone has the right to life, liberty and security
- Use of capital punishment contradicts this, the UN general assembly has called for an
end to the death penalty
- The death penalty is used by 29 states in the USA (opposed by human rights groups
such as amnesty international)
- Thought to be cruel as there have been many botched executions where the prisoner is
forced to suffer for a long period of time before they die
Eg; In Arizona, it took Joseph Wood two hours to die after being injected
- China conducts the most executions per year of any country in the world
Article 3= everyone has the right to life, liberty and security
- Forced labour, described by the international labour organisation (ILO) as situations
in which a person if forced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or
through more subtle means such as the accumulation of debt
- It is estimated that globally 21 million people are victims of forced labour (11.4
million of whom are female and 2 million of them are exploited by state or rebel
groups)
- South East Asia, India and the DRC have rates of 0.75% + of their population
enslaved
- In Uzbekistan there is a state sponsorship of modern slavery during the cotton harvest,
using threats such as school expulsion or social benefit removal
Article 3= everyone has the right to life, liberty and security
Maternal mortality rate= the number of mothers per 100,000 live births that die within 42
days of termination or pregnancy
- In 2013 globally 289,000 women died during or following childbirth
- Sub-Saharan Africa was worst affected, eg; in Sierra Leone MMR= 1100/ 100,000
live births (in comparison Belarus has 1/100,000)
- Thought to be a human rights issue as they are preventable
- The Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women aims
to prevent this further
