Name: Nidhi N.

Shah
Mba I
Roll no. 28
Subject: Human rights

Q1 Write a Brief Note on

Civil and political Rights.
Answer: Civil and political rights are a class of rights that
protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and
private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political
life of the society and state without discrimination or repression.
Civil rights include the ensuring of peoples' physical and mental integrity, life, and safety;
protection from discrimination on grounds such as race, gender, sexual
orientation, national origin, colour, age, political affiliation, ethnicity, religion,
and disability; and individual rights such as privacy and the freedom
of thought, speech, religion, press, assembly, and movement.
Political rights include natural justice (procedural fairness) in law, such as the rights of the
accused, including the right to a fair trial; due process; the right to seek redress or a legal
remedy; and rights of participation in civil society and politics such as freedom of
association, the right to assemble, the right to petition, the right of self-defense, and
Civil and political rights form the original and main part of international human
rights. They comprise the first portion of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (with economic, social, and cultural rights comprising the second portion). The
theory of three generations of human rights considers this group of rights to be "first-
generation rights", and the theory of negative and positive rights considers them to be
generally negative rights.
The right to hold position in the civil service should be viewed separately from the
right of individuals to employment. The work in public service differs from that
performed in private sector in terms of the legal aspects of establishing of the legal
relations as well in terms of the purpose of work that is closely linked to fulfilment
of public assignment.
Exercising of the right to hold office in the civil service in Latvia is fixed in the law,
as follows from the stipulation in the Constitution: “Every citizen of Latvia has the
right, as provided for by law, to participate in the work of the State and of local
government, and to hold a position in the civil service.” The civil service is not
necessarily available to all persons, provided however that the applicable criteria
are objective.
A number of restrictions are imposed by law on the individuals who seek
engagement in the civil service: for example, they have to be citizens of the State,
loyal to democracy, etc. The said right is aimed at ensuring legitimacy of the rule of
law of democratic state.

Q3. Write a short note on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Answer: Based on Article 29 of the UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, 1948, stating,
that everyone has duties to the community in which the free and full development of his
personality is realised,
Whereas human duties have social nature in their basis and cannot be separated from
human rights, and a person cannot have rights without having duties, and only realising
own duties equally with rights it is possible to obtain real freedom, justice and peace in
the world,
Whereas disregard or removal from carrying-out of duties generates various conflicts
among people and creates problems, including global ones, which disturb the mind of the
Humanity,
Whereas creation by joint efforts of such a world, where human beings can feel in safety,
have possibility to live freely and to develop in the normal way without fear for their
future, is proclaimed as high aspiration of human beings, including the present generation,
Whereas necessary, that human duties are imposed not only and not so much by power of
law, but first and foremost by consciousness, conscience and mind of human being
himself, are understood identically everywhere and serve as the foundation of universal
peace and security on the Earth,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have reaffirmed in the Charter their resolution
to contribute to universal social progress and improvement of life conditions, inseparable
from evolution of human intellectual abilities, reason and consciousness,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the
United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of both, human
rights and duties, fundamental freedoms, based on reason, and it has great importance
for organising United Nations for the full realization of this pledge.

Q4. What is meant by human duties?

Answer: The GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims this UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN
DUTIES as a common standard of achievement for all peoples, nations and states, to the
end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly
in mind, shall strive to contribute to observance of these duties by all available means, but
first and foremost with the help of enlightenment, good breeding and education as well as
by means of progressive measures, national and international, directed at their general
and effective recognition and practical discharge by all individuals and peoples.
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity, rights and duties, having equal
opportunities in achieving of a high social status. While growing up through
enlightenment, good breeding and education, individuals gain reason and conscience,
develop intellect and consciousness, keeping towards one another feelings of
brotherhood, solidarity and reasonable co-operation.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to know and observe all duties set forth in this Declaration, without
distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, citizenship, political or
other opinion, national or social origin, propertied, birth or other status.
Article 3
Everyone, having the right to life, is obliged to strive to reasonable existence, doing duties
before himself and before society, confirming by that own membership in the human race,
the society of intelligent creatures - Homo sapience sapience. This is his main dignity, and
therefore every individual is obliged practically to admit the merit of the mankind in all
other human beings, who observes human duties and rights. Based on that everyone has
the duty, connected with respect, which it is necessary to show to all other intelligent
persons.
Article 4
Everyone is obliged to respect above all thorough knowledge, wit (reason), labour, the
truth and truths, science, good deeds, human values, wisdom (philosophy), decency,
honesty, conscience, justice, honour. Each individual has to contribute to propagate them.
Article 5
No one should avoid own destiny to be an intelligent creature - Homo sapience sapience,
to develop with the help of enlightenment intellect and consciousness and to do duties,
appropriate to the human status, before himself and society.
Article 6
Everyone should understand that to do something in the line of duty - it means to obey
reason, which signifies human ability to implement relations with the surrounding world
through obligation. The responsibility towards himself consists first of all in observance
by everyone the human dignity in himself.
Article 7
Any individual deserves the right to obtain all appropriate human rights, enumerated in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, only if he realises, knows and does human
duties before himself and before society. A person, who does not fulfil human duties, has
no ground to aspire to human rights.
Article 8
The primary duty of every individual is to become and to be a HUMAN BEING, that means
presence at his disposal mind, conscience and developed consciousness, achieved by
means of proper upbringing, education and enlightenment.
Article 9
No one should avoid duties to be a well brought up, cultural, educated and enlightened
member of society, being possessed of reason, conscience and developed consciousness.
Article 10
Everyone should acquire well standards and rules of behaviour generally accepted in
society and observe them. At the same time local manners, customs and traditions, not
contradicting generally accepted standards, should be respected within reasonable limits.
Article 11
No one should avoid the duty to behave decently in society. Otherwise the rights of other
members of society to live in safety among adequate, cultural, educated and well brought
up individuals, being possessed of high morals and developed consciousness, are violated.
Article 12
Everyone should guard nature, to maintain in proper condition the ecology of surrounding
biosphere as the habitat of himself and of all living on the Earth.
Article 13
No one is entitled to pollute environment, thus depriving other individuals of the right to
keep up and safe their health, making attempts upon their lives and also destroying
premises to preserve animal and vegetable world, surrounding human beings, in
appropriate condition.
Article 14
As an intelligent creature everyone is obliged to develop for common weal his useful
innate inclinations, which can be reasonably used, and also to assist other members of
society in developing of their own ones.
Article 15
No one is entitled to impede human activity directed at social or environmental weal, to
perfection of their harmony. On the contrary, the real human being is obliged to promote
in every way possible such activity and to oppose to any kind of acts, entailing violation of
harmony, destruction or damage to anything created by nature or human being, injuring
society or harming environment.
Article 16
Everyone is bound to consider as his own duty to defend weak, to help poor, to advice
unenlightened, to render own knowledge and opinion to those, whom passion leads astray
from the true way of the human evolution. Only through such fair assignment of assistance
of one people to others the true happiness of the whole humanity can be achieved.
Article 17
No one should strive for superiority over other human beings by means of force, including
military, wealth, including financial, fraud, including demagogy, or using ignorance of
people, or in the way of intimidation. As normal it can be admitted aspiration of
individuals for superiority in reason, conscience, morals, intellect and consciousness. All
disputes, misunderstandings and conflicts should be settled among human beings by
means of reasonable compromises.
Article 18
Everyone should create weal, that is to do good deeds, to make beauty, to help people as
far as possible and contribute to their happiness not expecting to receive some other
reward except a moral one.
Article 19
Everyone should strive to be healthy, physically and morally, well brought up, polite,
educated, to perfect himself constantly by means of self-upbringing and self-educating,
and to develop in himself kind feelings and consciousness, especially in case of disposition
to evil.
Article 20
Everyone is obliged to improve and decorate place of his living, to show concern about
own family, its members, to render homage to elders, to care about parents and children,
to provide children with the best upbringing and education.
Article 21
Everyone is bound to be of benefit for society, to pay attention, to render utmost
assistance and support to its other members, to show them mutual respect, benevolence,
sympathy, partnership. Everyone's duty before himself and also before others is to
influence one another, but fist of all vicious persons, with own positive moral characters,
not to keep aloof from others.
Article 22
All are equal before the law, be it local, state, international or of nature, and should know
and conform to the duties following from injunctions of legislation in force. Individuals,
evading duties injuncted by laws, break by that social equality, established public order
and must bear responsibility before society determinated by law-court. Those persons,
whose activity violates the balance of nature, leads to natural cataclysms, finally bringing
misfortunes to people, should bear not less responsibility.
Article 23
Everyone is obliged to contribute to strengthening and evolution of his state, to honour its
history, to elect the most intelligent fellow-citizens to legislative and governmental
executive bodies, to show friendliness, neighbourship and collaboration with citizens of
other states.
Article 24
Keeping in view the process of general globalisation, everyone is obliged to assist to
strengthening of mutual understanding among nations and to positive evolution of the
humanity, to elect to management of international organisations the most intelligent
representatives of the generation, living now, not depending on their race, colour, sex,
language, religion, citizenship, political or other opinion, to explain necessity of
international co-operation in protection and making better the ecology of the planet, to
keep peace, to fight terrorism in any of its forms, including attempts on safety of the
nature, to be concerned about fortune of succeeding generations of the humanity, not
abusing the fact of own earlier living on the Earth.
Article 25
No one should display injustice or negligence while executing his duties because it
weakens or even breaks off ties of inter-human, international, inter-state relations, of any
social union.
Article 26
Everyone is obliged to oppose to any display of banditism, robbery, terrorism,
obscurantism, Fascism, extremism, militarism, corruption, falsehood, theft, demagogy,
evil, violence, slander, to fight with their bearers and also with spreaders of narcotics,
capturers of hostages, perverters of children, damagers to environment, murderers. The
persons, who are involved in such flaws, should be put under the most severe public
pressure or even be isolated from the society of normal individuals with simultaneous
depriving them of human rights.
Article 27
Everyone is obliged to respect, to esteem elders, educated, intelligent persons, laws,
democracy and noocracy, the freedom of educational speech, culture, good conscience,
authenticity, aspiration to perfection, competence, philosophy of the Enlightenment,
responsibility, the freedom of reasonable initiatives, morals, kindness, to have and show
compassion, courtesy, charity, benevolence, sincerity, nobility, neatness, accuracy,
discipline - all of them making human communal life normal.
Article 28
Everyone is obliged to condemn, to regard as intolerable illiteracy, alcoholism, narcotism,
tobacco-smoking, toxico-dependence, foul language, ignorance, wars, irresponsibility,
means-dependence, vulgarity, dishonest actions, slatternliness, unscrupulousness,
disrespect to parents and elders, vanity, malice, fraud, misinformation, speculation on
ignorance of people, envy, meanness, dishonour, hypocrisy, cynicism, hatred, mockery,
hooliganism, provocations, zombie-creating, swindling, ecology deterioration,
nationalistic and religion extremism, drawing misfortunes for human beings.

Article 29
As everyone realises and carries out his duties before society, he has reason to expect
having appropriate rights because only combination of human duties with rights can
ensure real harmonious development of individual character, of society, nations,
civilisations, of the Humanity as a whole. Carrying-out human duties by people,
observance of their rights and reasonable freedoms should completely agree with goals
and principles of the United Nations Organisation.

Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State or a union of
States, for a nationality or a nation, group or person rights or opportunities to evade the
duties set forth herein.
Q5. Write a short note on the historical background of human rights.
Answer: Originally, people had rights only because of their membership in a group, such
as a family. Then, in 539 BC, Cyrus the Great, after conquering the city of Babylon, did
something totally unexpected—he freed all slaves to return home. Moreover, he declared
people should choose their own religion. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay tablet containing his
statements, is the first human rights declaration in history.
The idea of human rights spread quickly to India, Greece and eventually Rome. The most
important advances since then have included:

1215: The Magna Carta—gave people new rights and made the king subject to the law.

1628: The Petition of Right—set out the rights of the people.

1776: The United States Declaration of Independence—proclaimed the right to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.

1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen—a document of France,
stating that all citizens are equal under the law.

1948: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights—the first document listing the 30 rights
to which everyone is entitled.

Q6. Write a short note on Human Rights and the United Nations Charter.
Answer: ‘Human rights’ refers to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are
entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and
expression, and equality before the law. Human rights are the foundation of human
existence and coexistence. They are universal, indivisible and interdependent. Human
rights are recognised as fundamental by the United Nations and, as such, feature
prominently in the Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations: “… to reaffirm faith in
fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal
rights of men and women and of nations large and small”. The United Nations is the only
international entity with jurisdiction for universal human rights legislation. Where it has
been adopted, legislation commonly contains:
security rights that prohibit crimes such as murder” enforced” involuntary suicide,
massacre, torture and rape;
liberty rights that protect freedoms in areas such as belief and religion, association,
assembling and movement;
political rights that protect the liberty to participate in politics by expressing themselves,
protesting, participating in a republic;
due process rights that protect against abuses of the legal system such as imprisonment
without trial, secret trials and excessive punishments;
equality rights that guarantee equal citizenship, equality before the law and non-
discrimination;
welfare rights (also known as economic rights) that require the provision of, e.g.
education, paid holidays, and protections against severe poverty and starvation;
group rights that provide protection for groups against ethnic genocide and for the
ownership by countries of their national territories and resources.
The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation whose stated aims are to
facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development,
social progress and human rights issues. The pursuit of human rights was a central reason
for creating the UN. It was founded in 1945 and began with fifty countries signing
the United Nations Charter. As of 2007, there are 192 United Nations member states,
encompassing almost every recognised independent state. The UN Charter obliges all
member nations to promote “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights” and
to take “joint and separate action” to that end. The Charter consists of a preamble and a
series of articles divided into chapters. It includes: purposes of the United Nations; criteria
for membership; the organs and institutions of the UN; arrangements for integrating the
UN with established international law; and the enforcement powers of UN bodies.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an advisory declaration adopted by
the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/217, 10 December 1948 at Palais de
Chaillot, Paris). It consists of a Preamble and 30 articles setting forth the human rights and
fundamental freedoms to which all men and women, everywhere in the world, are
entitled, without any discrimination.