INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RIGHTS

1.  HUMAN RIGHTS TERMS

ADVOCACY: specific, short-term activities to reach a long-term vision; actions designed to
draw a community's attention to an issue and to direct policy makers to a solution.
CEDAW: See CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN.
CLAIM: Allegation by an individual or state that it is entitled to a REMEDY for an injury
caused by an offender (usually the state).
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: Body formed by the ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COUNCIL (ECOSOC) of the United Nations to deal with HUMAN RIGHTS; one of the first
and most important international HUMAN RIGHTS bodies.
COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION:
The TREATY MONITORING BODY created by the CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION
OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION to monitor state compliance with that
CONVENTION.
COMPLAINT: In legal terms, the initial document that begins an action; a complaint sets forth a
brief summary of what happened and argues why relief should be granted.
CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (CRC) (adopted 1989; entered into force
1990): CONVENTION setting forth a full spectrum of civil, cultural, economic, social and
political rights of children.
DECLARATION: Document represents agreed upon standards, but which is not legally binding;
United Nations conferences usually produce two sets of declarations: one by government
representatives and one by NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs); the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY often issues influential but legally NON-BINDING declarations.
DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (1993):
NON-BINDING declaration of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY on the right of women to be free
from violence and the obligations of governments to take steps to eliminate violence against
women.
DISABLED PERSON: People who have both genetic and acquired physical, mental and
psychological conditions that may require accommodation in order for them to participate fully
and equally in society;
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN: Defined in the WOMEN’S CONVENTION as "Any
distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of
impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their
marital status, on the basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field." (Article 1).
DISPLACED PERSON: A person who flees his or her homeland due to political persecution or
war, but does not cross state borders; displaced persons can be used as a phrase to refer to people
who may consider themselves to be REFUGEES but who do not qualify for official refugee
status under the CONVENTION RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Violence among members of a family or household; in these cases,
one person gains power through use of physical or emotional coercion; any person in a
household could be the target of domestic violence but it is most frequently experienced by
women.
.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Term used to express a positive interconnection of
environmental and social rights..
EQUALITY: The notion that all human beings are entitled to the same human rights without
distinction. Article 2 of the UDHR embodies an equality principle. Equality does not necessarily
mean treating people the same but rather taking whatever steps are necessary to promote a more
just society for all.
GENDER: The ways in which roles, attitudes, values and relationships regarding women and
men are constructed by all societies all over the world. While sex is determined by nature, gender
is socially constructed; almost invariably gender distinctions function to subordinate and
discriminate against women.
GENDER DISCRIMINATION: Discrimination based on socially constructed ideas and
perceptions of men and women.
GENDER-NEUTRALITY: Treatment of a problem without recognition of gender; myth of
gender neutrality in human rights eliminates recognition that treating people identically despite
unequal situations perpetuates rather than eradicates injustices.
GENOCIDE: Any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part,
a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: (a) killing members of the group; (b) causing
serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; ( c) deliberately inflicting the conditions
of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the group; (d) imposing measures
intended to prevent births within the group; (e) forcibly transferring children of the group to
another group. See
HUMAN RIGHTS: The rights people are entitled to simply for being human, irrespective of
their citizenship, nationalist, race, ethnicity, language, sex, sexuality or abilities; human rights
become enforceable as they become CODIFIED as CONVENTIONS, COVENANTS or
TREATIES, or as they become recognized as CUSTOMARY INTERNATIONAL LAW.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE : The TREATY MONITORING BODY created by the
INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS to investigate and
hear claims pertaining to civil and political rights under that Covenant; one of six bodies charges
with monitoring compliance of member states with UN human rights conventions.
HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEMS: Refers to the various groupings of human rights laws, courts,
investigatory bodies and other organizations at the national, regional and international levels,
which may provide appropriate ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS, such as court-like
COMPLAINT procedures and audit-like MONITORING AND REPORTING PROCEDURES.
MALTREATMENT OF CHILDREN: Emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual
abuse. Emotional abuse includes acts or failures to act by parents or caretakers that have caused
or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or mental disorders. Neglect is the
failure to provide for the child’s basic needs; it may be physical, educational, or emotional.
Physical abuse is the inflicting of physical injury upon a child. Sexual abuse is inappropriate
sexual behavior with a child.
MINORITY: Refers to groups with (1) fewer members, i.e. not the majority of a population, or
(2) less power in society.
NON-DISCRIMINATION: Principle that people may not be treated differently based on
arbitrary and impermissible criteria; discrimination based on grounds of race, sex, disability,
sexual orientation, geographic location or any other status violates human rights. CEDAW
defines DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN.
PEOPLES' RIGHTS: Used synonymously with SOLIDARITY RIGHTS and COLLECTIVE
RIGHTS; refers to the rights of groups, not just individuals, such as the s to development, peace
and a healthy environment.
SEXUAL ASSAULT: Includes rape and other forms of physical attack of a sexual nature. See
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN and MALTREATMENT OF CHILDREN.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to
or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment,
unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile
or offensive work environment; two types of sexual harassment recognized under some countries
laws are QUID PRO QUO SEXUAL HARASSMENT and HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
TREATY: Formal agreement between states that defines and modifies their mutual duties and
obligations; used synonymously with CONVENTION. When national governments RATIFY
treaties, they become part of their domestic legal obligations.
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (UDHR)(1948): Primary United Nations
document establishing human rights standards and norms; although intended to be NON-
BINDING, through time its various provisions have become so respected by states that it can be
said to be CUSTOMARY INTERNATIONAL LAW; one of three components of the
INTERNATIONAL BILL OF RIGHTS.
UNIVERSAL LAW: Law so fundamental or basic that it is binding upon all states whether they
have individually consented to it or not.
WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS: Political strategy to underscore that women's rights are HUMAN
RIGHTS, that is rights to which women are entitled simply for being human. This strategy adds
both a focus on women into the human right movement and an emphasis on HUMAN RIGHTS
PRINCIPLES into the women’s rights movement; the main international document stating
women's HUMAN RIGHTS is the CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS
OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN.
_________________________________
What Are Human Rights?
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality,
ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and
liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work
and education, and many more.  Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
International Human Rights Law
International human rights law (Links to an external site.) lays down the obligations of
Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.
One of the great achievements of the United Nations is the creation of a comprehensive body of
human rights law—a universal and internationally protected code to which all nations can
subscribe and all people aspire. The United Nations has defined a broad range of internationally
accepted rights, including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. It has also
established mechanisms to promote and protect these rights and to assist states in carrying out
their responsibilities.
The foundations of this body of law are the Charter (Links to an external site.) of the United
Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Links to an external site.), adopted by
the General Assembly in 1945 and 1948, respectively.  Since then, the United Nations has
gradually expanded human rights law to encompass specific standards for women, children,
persons with disabilities, minorities and other vulnerable groups, who now possess rights that
protect them from discrimination that had long been common in many societies.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history

of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from
all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General
Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) as a
common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time,
fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Since its adoption in 1948, the UDHR has
been translated into more than 500 languages (Links to an external site.) - the most translated
document in the world - and has inspired the constitutions of many newly independent States and
many new democracies. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (Links to an external site.) and its two Optional Protocols (Links to an external
site.) (on the complaints procedure and on the death penalty) and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its Optional Protocol, form the so-called International
Bill of Human Rights (Links to an external site.).
Economic, social and cultural rights
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Links to an external
site.) entered into force in 1976. The human rights that the Covenant seeks to promote and
protect include:

 the right to work in just and favourable conditions;

 the right to social protection, to an adequate standard of living and to the highest
attainable standards of physical and mental well-being;
 the right to education and the enjoyment of benefits of cultural freedom and scientific
progress.

Civil and political rights

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Links to an external site.) and its First
Optional Protocol (Links to an external site.) entered into force in 1976. The Second Optional
Protocol (Links to an external site.) was adopted in 1989.
The Covenant deals with such rights as freedom of movement; equality before the law; the right
to a fair trial and presumption of innocence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
freedom of opinion and expression; peaceful assembly; freedom of association; participation in
public affairs and elections; and protection of minority rights. It prohibits arbitrary deprivation of
life; torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment; slavery and forced labour; arbitrary
arrest or detention; arbitrary interference with privacy; war propaganda; discrimination; and
advocacy of racial or religious hatred.
Human Rights Conventions
A series of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted since 1945 have
expanded the body of international human rights law. They include the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) (Links to an external site.),
the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (1965) (Links to an external site.), the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) (Links to an external site.), the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (1989) (Links to an external site.) and the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (2006) (Links to an external site.), among others.
Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council (Links to an external site.), established on 15 March 2006 by the
General Assembly and reporting directly to it, replaced the 60-year-old UN Commission on
Human Rights (Links to an external site.) as the key UN intergovernmental body responsible for
human rights. The Council is made up of 47 State representatives and is tasked with
strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe by addressing
situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them, including
responding to human rights emergencies.
The most innovative feature of the Human Rights Council is the Universal
Periodic Review (Links to an external site.). This unique mechanism involves a review of the
human rights records of all 192 UN member states once every four years. The Review is a
cooperative, state-driven process, under the auspices of the Council, which provides the
opportunity for each state to present measures taken and challenges to be met to improve the
human rights situation in their country and to meet their international obligations. The Review is
designed to ensure universality and equality of treatment for every country.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Links to an external site.) exercises
principal responsibility for UN human rights activities. The High Commissioner is mandated to
respond to serious violations of human rights and to undertake preventive action.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (Links to an external site.) is
the focal point for United Nations human rights activities. It serves as the secretariat for the
Human Rights Council, the treaty bodies (expert committees that monitor treaty compliance) and
other UN human rights organs. It also undertakes human rights field activities.
Most of the core human rights treaties have an oversight body which is responsible for reviewing
the implementation of that treaty by the countries that have ratified it.  Individuals, whose rights
have been violated can file complaints directly to Committees overseeing human rights treaties.
Human Rights and the UN System
Human rights is a cross-cutting theme in all UN policies and programmes in the key areas of
peace and security, development, humanitarian assistance, and economic and social affairs. As a
result, virtually every UN body and specialized agency is involved to some degree in the
protection of human rights. Some examples are the right to development (Links to an external
site.), which is at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (Links to an external site.); the
right to food, championed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, labour rights, defined
and protected by the International Labour Organization, gender equality, which is promulgated
by UN Women, the rights of children, indigenous peoples, and disabled persons.
Source:  https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/ (Links to an external site.)
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of
human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all
regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly
in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A (Links to an external site.))
as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first
time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over
500 languages. (Links to an external site.)
 
 
Preamble
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all
members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have
outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall
enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the
highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to
rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of
law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in
fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights
of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life
in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United
Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental
freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for
the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples
and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this
Declaration constantly in mind, 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, both among the peoples of Member States
themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. 
Article 1.
 
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason
and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
 
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without
distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made
on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to
which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other
limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
 
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
 
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all
their forms.
Article 5.
 
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
 
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
 
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the
law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this
Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
 
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts
violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
 
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
 
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial
tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against
him.
Article 11.
 
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved
guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his
defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did
not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was
committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time
the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
 
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or
correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the
protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each
state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-
political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his
nationality.
Article 16.
 
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have
the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during
marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection
by society and the State.
Article 17.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
 
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes
freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others
and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and
observance.
Article 19.
 
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold
opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any
media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through
freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be
expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and
shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
 
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization,
through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization
and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his
dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable
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 favourable 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.
Article 24.
 
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and
periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of
himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary
social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether
born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
 
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and
fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional
education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to
all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the
strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote
understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall
further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
 
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the
arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any
scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
 
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth
in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
 
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his
personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations
as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the
rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and
the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and
principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
 
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any
right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights
and freedoms set forth herein.