Human rights: Difference between revisions

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'''Human rights''' are a conception of natural rights that are considered to be universal including civil rights, freedom from unjust actions and the right to express oneself freely. There are a variety of human rights charters and laws including the United Nations [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], regional charters like the [[European Convention of Human Rights]] and specific national human rights laws like the British [[Human Rights Act]].
This article adopts the colloquial use of the term '''human rights''' as a '''''universal''''' body of entitlements, as distinct from its broader interpretation as the equivalent of the term "[[civil rights]]". It is mainly concerned with the developments  of the concept of human rights that have taken place since the issue in 1948 of the  [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]. Among those developments have been its near-universal popular endorsement as a statement of the principles that should govern the way governments treat their citizens, and a far from universal realisation of those principles. Agencies of the [[United Nations]] have conferred operational significance on the declaration by  the creation of an agreed body of [[/Addendum#United Nations human rights treaties|international treaties]] and have implemented mechanisms for monitoring compliance with them. Regional and national authorities have taken further action, extending in some cases to [[/Addendum#Human rights legislation|legislation]]. A number of civil and criminal law actions have concerning human rights have been taken  [[/Addendum#Human rights in the courts|in courts created for the purpose]].
 
The [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] was put together by [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] after the [[Second World War]] for the [[United Nations]]. Some of the motivations for these and other documents, such as the [[Nuremberg Code]] and [[Declaration of Helsinki]] for rights in human research, came from revelations at the [[International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg)]] and the [[Nuremberg Military Tribunals]].
 
Some enforcement mechanisms are forming, with various amounts of jurisdiction, including the [[International Court of Justice]], [[International Criminal Court]], [[European Court of Human Rights]], and specific regional tribunals such as the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]][http://www.icty.org/] and the [[International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda]].[http://69.94.11.53/default.htm]
 
A variety of human rights organizations like [[Amnesty International]] and [[Human Rights Watch]] exist in order to try and pressure governments into granting the protections and abstaining from the prohibited actions of the charters and the values which underlie them, as well as pressuring other governments and organizations into advocating for human rights, and applying both market and governmental pressure into conforming to human rights agreements.
 
There continue to be international agreements in specific areas, such as the [[Convention against Torture]].

Revision as of 08:09, 7 August 2012

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This article adopts the colloquial use of the term human rights as a universal body of entitlements, as distinct from its broader interpretation as the equivalent of the term "civil rights". It is mainly concerned with the developments of the concept of human rights that have taken place since the issue in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Among those developments have been its near-universal popular endorsement as a statement of the principles that should govern the way governments treat their citizens, and a far from universal realisation of those principles. Agencies of the United Nations have conferred operational significance on the declaration by the creation of an agreed body of international treaties and have implemented mechanisms for monitoring compliance with them. Regional and national authorities have taken further action, extending in some cases to legislation. A number of civil and criminal law actions have concerning human rights have been taken in courts created for the purpose.

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