I have found this article year ago and just found it in my PC. You should read it
On December 10, 1948; three years after World War II had ended, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document laid out a framework for recognizing fundamental human rights under International Law. But how many Americans are aware of this essential document... let alone the 30 articles that it contains? This declaration of basic rights, guaranteed to all human beings, is essential if we are to improve as a human race.
To quote Eleanor Roosevelt:
Basically we could not have peace, or an atmosphere in which peace could grow, unless we recognized the rights of individual human beings... their importance, their dignity... and agreed that was the basic thing that had to be accepted throughout the world.
It is hard to disagree with the fundamental rights guaranteed to human rights described in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
It is even harder for one to understand the real world consequences of ignoring these rights until one looks at what events are occurring in the world which should be being prevented by this International Document. The most profound violation of human rights in our day in age is the crisis in Sudan; for those who are not familiar with the current conflict in Sudan, a militant group known as the Janjaweed backed by the government of Sudan is currently committing an act of genocide.
Aid workers and human-rights researchers say the violence that has convulsed western Sudan since February 2003, and the ensuing hunger and disease, has killed up to 50,000 people and forced some 1.4 million from their homes. Human-rights groups estimate that thousands more are displaced every week. Hundreds of women have been raped; including 41 in a single episode of gang rape last February in the town of Tawila. (Robinson)
Another profound example of human right violations in the world today are the sweatshops in china where labourers work 16 hour shifts, sometimes longer. The large population of China increases the supply of workers, this creates the perfect atmosphere for ignoring workers rights.
According to Article 23 of the Declaration of Human Rights:
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
The exploitation of lower classes and the outsourcing of jobs is a major part of society today but that does not make it morally justifiable. The importance of these events are obvious, if we are unaware of the consequences of ignoring human rights violations then there is no way that we will ever play an active part in reducing them.
As Americans we are, like it or not, global citizens. The policy's of the U.S. affect the entire world and we are dependent economically in the Middle East and Asia in addition to Europe.
According to Koffi Annan, Former UN Secretary General and winner of 2001 Nobel Peace Prize:
'Today, no walls can separate humanitarian or human rights crises in one part of the world from national security crises in another. What begins with the failure to uphold the dignity of one life all too often ends with a calamity for entire nations
It is easy as Americans to ignore human rights violations because we are often not even aware of them. The mainstream U.S. media tends to filter out information we do not want to hear concerning international politics which include the genocide in Sudan, the Workers Revolution in China and our current conflict in Iraq. But if we ignore these issues we lose our integrity from an international standpoint and end up paying later.
To quote Noam Chomsky:
We're not analyzing the media on Mars or in the eighteenth century or something like that. We're dealing with real human beings who are suffering and dying and being tortured and starving because of policies that we are involved in, we as citizens of democratic societies are directly involved in and are responsible for, and what the media are doing is ensuring that we do not act on our responsibilities, and that the interests of power are served, not the needs of the suffering people, and not even the needs of the American people who would be horrified if they realized the blood that's dripping from their hands because of the way they are allowing themselves to be deluded and manipulated by the system.
As Noam explains, if people realized how much injustice is in the world people would no longer be content with the current system that they find themselves locked into. As I stated before, we have a duty to care about what goes on around us and how it affects us.
Now one encounters a number of dilemmas when encountering human rights issues. One is information. We have a nearly infinite supply of information ranging from local organizations to written material to the Internet. In order to be an informed citizen one must sift through the mess to find a source of news that is not motivated by profit but rather by truth.
As Noam Chomsky gracefully put it:
The media have two basic functions. One is to indoctrinate the elites, to make sure they have the right ideas and know how to serve power. In fact, typically the elites are the most indoctrinated segment of a society, because they are the ones who are exposed to the most propaganda and actually take part in the decision-making process. For them you have the New York Times, and the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, and so on. But there’s also a mass media, whose main function is just to get rid of the rest of the population -- to marginalize and eliminate them, so they don’t interfere with decision-making. And the press that’s designed for that purpose isn’t the New York Times and the Washington Post, it’s sitcoms on television, and the National Enquirer, and sex and violence, and babies with three heads, and football, all that kind of stuff
The second dilemma that arises is what one should do with this new found knowledge. There are a number of non-profit organizations focusing on human rights abuses. One of the most prominent ones is Amnesty International, a non-governmental grassroots organization that addresses human rights abuses and organizes actions for specific causes.
According to Amnesty's website:
In pursuit of this vision, [Amnesty Internationals] mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.
Amnesty International is one of many organizations that brings people together to address human rights abuses and make a difference in peoples lives regardless of where they live. Becoming involved and informed in Human Rights Issues takes time and commitment but ensures a better world as time goes on.
All of the topics coincide with each other. You cannot be an informed citizen of the world unless you are familiar with the declaration of human rights. Likewise, you cannot hope to create change if you are not aware of the reasoning behind your actions. Finally, you can never forget why we need to do more to protect the rights of others.
As Federico Mayor put it:
A universal renunciation of violence requires the commitment of the whole of society. These are not matters of government but matters of State; not only matters for the authorities, but for society in its entirety, including civilian, military, and religious bodies. The mobilization which is urgently needed to effect the transition within two or three years from a culture of war to a culture of peace demands co-operation from everyone. In order to change, the world needs everyone.
We are one race of human beings, born equal. I truly hope that as time goes on, we will see an end to the abuse of human rights. One day, children will be born into a world where peace is the norm and everyone works together as equals.'
To quote Eleanor Roosevelt:
Basically we could not have peace, or an atmosphere in which peace could grow, unless we recognized the rights of individual human beings... their importance, their dignity... and agreed that was the basic thing that had to be accepted throughout the world.
It is hard to disagree with the fundamental rights guaranteed to human rights described in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
It is even harder for one to understand the real world consequences of ignoring these rights until one looks at what events are occurring in the world which should be being prevented by this International Document. The most profound violation of human rights in our day in age is the crisis in Sudan; for those who are not familiar with the current conflict in Sudan, a militant group known as the Janjaweed backed by the government of Sudan is currently committing an act of genocide.
Aid workers and human-rights researchers say the violence that has convulsed western Sudan since February 2003, and the ensuing hunger and disease, has killed up to 50,000 people and forced some 1.4 million from their homes. Human-rights groups estimate that thousands more are displaced every week. Hundreds of women have been raped; including 41 in a single episode of gang rape last February in the town of Tawila. (Robinson)
Another profound example of human right violations in the world today are the sweatshops in china where labourers work 16 hour shifts, sometimes longer. The large population of China increases the supply of workers, this creates the perfect atmosphere for ignoring workers rights.
According to Article 23 of the Declaration of Human Rights:
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
The exploitation of lower classes and the outsourcing of jobs is a major part of society today but that does not make it morally justifiable. The importance of these events are obvious, if we are unaware of the consequences of ignoring human rights violations then there is no way that we will ever play an active part in reducing them.
As Americans we are, like it or not, global citizens. The policy's of the U.S. affect the entire world and we are dependent economically in the Middle East and Asia in addition to Europe.
According to Koffi Annan, Former UN Secretary General and winner of 2001 Nobel Peace Prize:
'Today, no walls can separate humanitarian or human rights crises in one part of the world from national security crises in another. What begins with the failure to uphold the dignity of one life all too often ends with a calamity for entire nations
It is easy as Americans to ignore human rights violations because we are often not even aware of them. The mainstream U.S. media tends to filter out information we do not want to hear concerning international politics which include the genocide in Sudan, the Workers Revolution in China and our current conflict in Iraq. But if we ignore these issues we lose our integrity from an international standpoint and end up paying later.
To quote Noam Chomsky:
We're not analyzing the media on Mars or in the eighteenth century or something like that. We're dealing with real human beings who are suffering and dying and being tortured and starving because of policies that we are involved in, we as citizens of democratic societies are directly involved in and are responsible for, and what the media are doing is ensuring that we do not act on our responsibilities, and that the interests of power are served, not the needs of the suffering people, and not even the needs of the American people who would be horrified if they realized the blood that's dripping from their hands because of the way they are allowing themselves to be deluded and manipulated by the system.
As Noam explains, if people realized how much injustice is in the world people would no longer be content with the current system that they find themselves locked into. As I stated before, we have a duty to care about what goes on around us and how it affects us.
Now one encounters a number of dilemmas when encountering human rights issues. One is information. We have a nearly infinite supply of information ranging from local organizations to written material to the Internet. In order to be an informed citizen one must sift through the mess to find a source of news that is not motivated by profit but rather by truth.
As Noam Chomsky gracefully put it:
The media have two basic functions. One is to indoctrinate the elites, to make sure they have the right ideas and know how to serve power. In fact, typically the elites are the most indoctrinated segment of a society, because they are the ones who are exposed to the most propaganda and actually take part in the decision-making process. For them you have the New York Times, and the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, and so on. But there’s also a mass media, whose main function is just to get rid of the rest of the population -- to marginalize and eliminate them, so they don’t interfere with decision-making. And the press that’s designed for that purpose isn’t the New York Times and the Washington Post, it’s sitcoms on television, and the National Enquirer, and sex and violence, and babies with three heads, and football, all that kind of stuff
The second dilemma that arises is what one should do with this new found knowledge. There are a number of non-profit organizations focusing on human rights abuses. One of the most prominent ones is Amnesty International, a non-governmental grassroots organization that addresses human rights abuses and organizes actions for specific causes.
According to Amnesty's website:
In pursuit of this vision, [Amnesty Internationals] mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.
Amnesty International is one of many organizations that brings people together to address human rights abuses and make a difference in peoples lives regardless of where they live. Becoming involved and informed in Human Rights Issues takes time and commitment but ensures a better world as time goes on.
All of the topics coincide with each other. You cannot be an informed citizen of the world unless you are familiar with the declaration of human rights. Likewise, you cannot hope to create change if you are not aware of the reasoning behind your actions. Finally, you can never forget why we need to do more to protect the rights of others.
As Federico Mayor put it:
A universal renunciation of violence requires the commitment of the whole of society. These are not matters of government but matters of State; not only matters for the authorities, but for society in its entirety, including civilian, military, and religious bodies. The mobilization which is urgently needed to effect the transition within two or three years from a culture of war to a culture of peace demands co-operation from everyone. In order to change, the world needs everyone.
We are one race of human beings, born equal. I truly hope that as time goes on, we will see an end to the abuse of human rights. One day, children will be born into a world where peace is the norm and everyone works together as equals.'
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