4TH QTR: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

HUMAN RIGHTS

• Fundamental moral rights that are considered necessary for a life of human dignity, and are premised on respect for the equality and autonomy of individuals

• Human right structure relationships between people and the state, and indirectly, between one person and another

• Human rights are attached conversely to duties (person has rights, state has the duty to protect it)

• Not absolute, they must be balanced against one another

• Our idea of human rights is tied to the idea of natural law and liberal individualism

UNIVERSAL

For everyone, regardless o sex, race, religion, etc.

INALIENABLE

Cannot be renounced, lost or forfeited

INDIVISIBLE, INTERDEPENDENT, AND INTERRELATED

Intrinsically connected and must not viewed in isolation from one another

MORAL FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

• God: equal creation of human beings

• Nature: equal creation of human beings in nature

• Human Dignity: protection of human beings as purposive moral agents

• Human needs: protection to those things that human being need to survive

• Collective prosperity: need for all people to follow certain rules in order to prosper as a group

HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

• The Magna Carta: established common rights and made the king/loyalty subject to the law

• The Petition of Right: declaration of additional rights and liberties to the people

• U.S. Declaration of Independence: proclaimed the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

• The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: further established individual and collective rights

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: comprehensive list of rights to which everyone is entitled

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

• Set rules about how governments must act/refrain of acting in order to protect and promote the rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals and groups

• Formal codification of human rights in an international level

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

• Outlines the individual rights and freedoms for everyone based on the inherent dignity of every person

• Eleanor Roosevelt became the chairperson of the UN Commission of Human Right. The UDHR was approved on December 10, 1948

PILLARS OF THE UDHR

• Dignity - all people may exercise the same rights, to the same extent, and may not be stopped from exercising a right on the basis of any personal characteristic, such as gender, race, religion, or sexuality

• Liberty - to interact in society is reflected in the right to vote or assemble in groups

• Equality - speaks to second-generation rights, such as the right to education or the right to work

• Brotherhood - relates to community and solidarity

FUNCTION OF COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

• Independent office provided for in the for in the PH constitution to investigate all forms of human rights violation involving the political rights of the PH

• Programs handled by CHR:

  • Human Rights Protection Programs

  • The provision of the human rights education curriculum

  • Creation of an environment for poverty reduction

SOCIAL JUSTICE

• Practice of promoting and protecting human rights and responsibilities, with a particular emphasis on the economic and social rights of society’s most vulnerable groups” - Human Rights Resource Center

• Social justice is defined as “... promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity”

  • Fair treatment

  • Just share of the benefits of society

• Social justice is based on the concepts of equality (equal opportunities) and of human rights (solidarity, dignity of human being)

EXAMPLES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES

• Access to food, clean water, and shelter

• Access to decent healthcare

• Income inequality (between world employees/men and women)

• Environmental justice

• Minority rights (women, racial/ethnic groups, the elderly, children, etc.)

• Access to education

• Access to technology

• Human trafficking

• And so much more

SOCIAL JUSTICE GOALS

• The goals of social justice centers on the welfare of the people and economic stability

• Social justice was expanded to cover people’s political, economic, civil, social, and cultural rights

• Social justice is the virtue by which individuals and groups fulfill their obligation to society

• Social justice contribute positively to the complete well-being of fellowmen

SOCIAL INJUSTICE

• Situations and issues relating to unequal and abusive relationships among people, particularly human rights violations, exploitation, abuse, and discrimination directed toward certain individuals or groups