The document discusses the evolution and sources of human rights as a field of international law, emphasizing the influence of religion, natural law, and political revolutions. It outlines key milestones such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and various international conventions aimed at eliminating discrimination and protecting vulnerable groups. The text also addresses the challenges of enforcing human rights, especially in wartime, and the role of NGOs in advocating for basic political rights.

1. Human Rights
One of the newest area of international law concerns is
human rights ,it describes the rights of human beings against
certain abuses of their own government.
Sources of human rights:
The concept of HR arises from at least three sources :
Religion:
The first one is religion nearly every major world religion has
at its foundation the idea of humans were created in an image
of a higher power and that therefore all humans are to be
afforded the dignity and respect that are due that higher
power.
political and legal: This has for centuries discussed the idea of
natural law and natural rights ,natural law exists that grants all
humans the right to life ,liberty, property, and happiness.
political revolution:
political revolutions in the 18th century, such as the American and
French revolutions, translated the theory of natural law and
natural rights into practices. criticism of these ideas of human
rights exists ,on both a practical and theoretical level

2. H R Institutions
• In 1948 the UN general assembly adopted what
is considered the core international document
concerning human rights called universal
declaration of human rights (UDHR)
• The UDHR does not have the force of
international law ,but it sets forth international
norms regarding behavior by government
towards their own citizen and foreign alike
• UN has opened 7 treaties to be signed by
states. The treaties are legally binding contracts
singed by states .

3. • Declaration roots in the principle that violation
of HR upsets the international order.
• UN charter commits states to respect
fundamental freedom.
• Declaration proclaims that all humans are born
free and equal without regard of
sex,religions,language,race,political affiliation or
the status of the territory in which they were
born. Division of civil and political rights in 1976
through International Covenant on civil and
political rights and International covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These 2
and UDHR are referred as Int Bill of HR.

4. • International Convention on Elimination of all
forms of Racial discrimination in 1969 bans
discrimination against individuals based on
race , ethnicity, religion or national origin.
• Conventional Elimination of all forms of
discrimination against women CEDAW forced
in 1981.
• Convention against Torture (CAT) instituted in
1987.Convention on rights of child in 1990.
• Convention on protection of rights of migrant
workers (CMW) enacted in 2003.
• Several Int Organizations work in this field.

5. NGO’S
• key role in effort to win basic political rights in
authoritarian countries including the halt to the
torture execution ,and imprisonment of those
expressing political view. cutting off trade and
contract with the government that violates
human rights tends to hurt the citizens whose
rights are being violated by further isolating
them.
• China executes more people than the rest of
the world combined thousands each year some
times within days of the crime and some times
for relatively minor crimes.

6. • War Crime :
• Large scale abuses of human rights often occur
during war . Serious violations of this kind are
considered war crimes. in war time international
law is especially difficult to enforce but
extensive norms of legal conduct in wars as
well as international treaties are widely followed
.After a war losers can be punished for
violations of the laws of the war.

7. • Crimes against humanity:
• The solution is created for the war crimes called
crimes against humanity under which those
responsible were punished.
• War crime includes unnecessary targeting of
civilian and mistreatment of prisoners of war .A
special court set up by UN is hearing cases
from the war in Sierra Leone ,where
mutilation ,rape and the use of child soldiers
were common .Arrested in Nigeria where
people had been living in exile