Human rights key terms

censorship

The practice of suppressing and limiting access to materials considered obscene, offensive or a threat to security. People may also be restricted in their speech by censorship laws.

Discrimination

Act of treating groups of people, or individuals differently, based on prejudice, e.g. racism.

Extremism

Believing in, supporting and acting upon ideas that are very far from what most people consider correct or reasonable. Extremist views might come from religious or political views.

Human Rights

The basic entitlements of all human beings, afforded to them simply because they are human. E.g. right to education.

Personal Conviction

Something a person strongly feels or believes in, e.g. Capital punishment is wrong.

Prejudice

Prejudging: judging people to be inferior or superior without cause, e.g. all women should stay at home to cook, clean and look after the children, instead of going out to work.

Relative poverty

A standard of poverty measured in relation to the standards of the society in which a person lives, for example, living on less than x percent of average income.

Absolute poverty

An acute state of deprivation, whereby a person cannot access the most basic of their human needs, e.g. food, water, shelter.

Social injustice

Promoting a fair society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity. Ensuring that everyone has equal access to provisions, equal opportunity and rights.