Global Politics Human Rights

Define human rights

The rights someone is entitled due to them being human

What was the first document to argue for human rights

The cyrus cylinder

Define inalienable

They cannot be taken away

Define indivisible

They come as a package and cannot be divided

Define equality

Everyone on the planet is treated the same

Define Justice

All individuals are to be treated fairly in the law

Define liberty

Being free from oppressive restrictions.

Define negative rights and provide an example

Rights that require no action from governments.

e.g The right not to be killed

Define positive rights

These are rights that require action by those in power

E.g The right to an education will only be implemented when governments build schools

What are 1st generation rights

• Political and civil rights that protect individual liberty

• Mainly negative rights

• Right to life

What are second generation rights

• These rights focuses in the economic, social and cultural rights that allow citizens to have a good quality of life

• They’re mainly positive rights

• Right to an education

What are third generation rights

These focus on the protection of the environment to allow future generations to have the same oppotunities as us

Define codification

The formalising of Human rights

What is a mechanism of human rights

These are official UN bodies that seek to protect and preserve Human Rights

Define codification of human rights

The formalising of Human Rights into law and legal basis for protection to take place

Define protection of Human Rights

Human rights have to be protected by the national court

Define promotion of human rights

Human Rights have to be promoted by NGOs

Why should there be monitoring of human rights

Human rights have to be monitored by independent bodies to ensure governments across the globe are complying with this

What is responsibility sovereignty

A state forfeits it’s sovereignty when it fails to protect its own citizens and the UN security council may authorise intervention

Why is cultural relativism an argument against Human Rights

States shouldn’t follow rights that were mainly written and codified by western countries and therefore their own culture is more important than the UDHR

What is a major issue of Human Rights

Their is a lot of inconsistencies when they’re being upheld or not