Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. They can never be taken away, although they can sometimes be restricted – for example if a person breaks the law, or in the interests of national security. These basic rights are based on shared values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence. These values are defined and protected by law. In Britain our human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998.

1. HUMAN RIGHTS
DR ALKA ARUP MUKHERJEE
SECRETARY
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

2. WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?
•Human rights are rights inherent to all
human beings, regardless of gender,
nationality, place of residency, sex,
ethnicity, religion, color or and other
categorization.
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3. • Human rights are standards that allow all people to live with dignity, freedom,
equality, justice, and peace.
• Every person has these rights simply because they are human beings. They are
guaranteed to everyone without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property,
birth, or other status.
• Human rights are essential to the full development of individuals and
communities.
• Many people view human rights as a set of moral principles that apply to
everyone.
• Human rights are also part of international law, contained in treaties and
declarations that spell out specific rights that countries are required to uphold.
Countries often incorporate human rights in their own national, state, and local
laws.
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5. Why are Human Rights Important?
• Human rights reflect the minimum standards necessary for people to live with
dignity.
• Human rights give people the freedom to choose how they live, how they
express themselves, and what kind of government they want to support,
among many other things.
• Human rights also guarantee people the means necessary to satisfy their basic
needs, such as food, housing, and education, so they can take full advantage of
all opportunities.
• Finally, by guaranteeing life, liberty, equality, and security, human rights protect
people against abuse by those who are more powerful.
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6. CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
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8. Where do Human Rights come from?
• The modern human rights era can be traced to struggles to end slavery,
genocide, discrimination, and government oppression.
• Atrocities during World War II made clear that previous efforts to protect
individual rights from government violations were inadequate.
• Thus was born the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as part of the
emergence of the United Nations (UN).
The UDHR was the first international document that spelled out the “basic civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights that all human beings should
enjoy.”
• The declaration was ratified without opposition by the UN General Assembly on
December 10, 1948.
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9. •The right to equality and freedom from
discrimination
•The right to life, liberty, and personal
security
•Freedom from torture and degrading
treatment
•The right to equality before the law
•The right to a fair trial
•The right to privacy
•Freedom of belief and religion
•Freedom of opinion
•Right of peaceful assembly and association
•The right to participate in government
•The right to social security
•The right to work
•The right to an adequate standard of living
•The right to education
•The right to health
•The right to food and housing
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Human Rights Outlined in the
International Bill of Rights

10. • Human rights are non-discriminatory, meaning that all human
beings are entitled to them and cannot be excluded from them.
• But all human beings are entitled to human rights, not all human
beings experience them equally throughout the world.
• Many governments and individuals ignore human rights and grossly
exploit other human beings.
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11. THE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS
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12. Who is Responsible for Upholding Human Rights?
• Under human rights treaties, governments have the primary responsibility for
protecting and promoting human rights. However, governments are not solely
responsible for ensuring human rights.
• The UDHR states:
• “Every individual and every organ of society … shall strive by teaching and education to
promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national
and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance.”
• This provision means that not only the government, but also businesses, civil society,
and individuals are responsible for promoting and respecting human rights.
• When a government ratifies a human rights treaty, it assumes a legal obligation to
respect, protect, and fulfill the rights contained in the treaty. Governments are
obligated to make sure that human rights are protected by both preventing human
rights violations against people within their territories and providing effective
remedies for those whose rights are violated
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13. Respect Protect Fulfill
Governments must not
deprive people of a right or
interfere with persons
exercising their rights.
For example, governments can:
•Create constitutional
guarantees of human rights.
•Provide ways for people who
have suffered human rights
violations by the government
to seek legal remedies from
domestic and international
courts.
•Sign international human
rights treaties.
Governments must prevent
private actors from violating
the human rights of others.
For example, governments can:
•Prosecute perpetrators of
human rights abuses, such as
crimes of domestic violence.
•Educate people about human
rights and the importance of
respecting the human rights of
others.
•Cooperate with the
international community in
preventing and prosecuting
crimes against humanity and
other violations.
Governments must take
positive action to facilitate the
enjoyment of basic human
rights.
For example, governments can:
•Provide free, high-quality
public education.
•Create a public defender
system so that everyone has
access to a lawyer.
•Ensure everyone has access to
food by funding public
assistance programs.
•Fund a public education
campaign on the right to vote
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14. How do Rights Become Law?
DEFINITIONS
DECLARATION
document stating standards or
principles, but which is not legally
binding
TREATY, CONVENTION,
COVENANT, CHARTER
legally binding agreement
between two or more countries
RRATIFICATION
formal process by which a
country agrees to be bound
by the terms of a treaty
RESERVATION
the exception that States make to
a treaty (e.g. provisions within
the treaty the government does
not accep
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15. TYPES OF HUMAN RIGHTS
1. Civil rights (such as the rights to life, liberty and security),
2. Political rights (like rights to the protection of the law and equality
before the law),
3. Economic rights (including rights to work, to own property and to
receive equal pay),
4. Social rights (like rights to education and consenting marriages),
5. Cultural rights (including the right to freely participate in their
cultural community), and
6. Collective rights (like the right to self-determination).
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17. THANK YOU
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