HUMAN RIGHTS

Compendium of the Social Teachings of

the Church
The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity
can be protected and a healthy community can be
achieved only if human rights are protected and
basic responsibilities are met.
 HUMAN
A member of the
homo sapiens
species; a man,
woman or child; a
person
 RIGHTS
are things you are
entitled or allowed to
do; freedoms that are
guaranteed because of
nature or because of
law.
 RIGHTS
are things you
have simply
because you are
human.
Because of Nature
every human being pursues
three things:
Life (survival)
Liberty (freedom)
and
Property (owning things to help him/her
survive).

We called these
NATURAL RIGHTS
 Because of Law
Just as all people have
natural rights, there are
also rights that are created
by the laws.
For example, Congress can
pass a law that gives people
new rights!
 People can
believe what they
want

Freedom of
Religion
 People can ask the
government for
change without fear!

Right to
Petition
 People can elect
representatives and
vote on issues!

Right to Vote
People can go where
and when they want
to!

Freedom of
Movement
 As a student, do you
have rights?

YES OF COURSE!
But your rights are limited to
protect you and your peers.
 For example:

You can’t say whatever

you want in a speech at a
school event. Your school
can require you to be
respectful and
appropriate.
 When you are an adult,
you have more freedom to
do and say what you want.

Does this seem fair to you?

(Tap the hand icon if is fair)

What do all these rights
mean for you?

With rights or freedom

comes…

RESPONSIBILITY
 RESPONSIBILITY

the expectation that you

will take care of certain
things or perform a task.
As a student, do
you have
responsibilities?
Yes!
 As a student, your list of
responsibilities might look a
little different.
Your list may not include voting,
but it probably includes
respecting authority.
 Are rights and
responsibilities
overlap?
Is voting a right?
Is voting also a
responsibility?
Do they ever
conflict?
Example:
What if you yell “BOMB!”
inside a crowded movie
theater?
 What RIGHT might be
involve?

 What responsibility might

also be involved?
In this example, which is more
important:

The RIGHT?
Or
the RESPONSIBILITY?
 Why?
Even though you have a right to
free speech, you have the
responsibility to protect the
public safety. It would be
seriously unsafe to yell
“BOMB!” in a crowded movie
theater.
 RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
(COMPENDIUM,NO. 156)
 are correlative principles.
 are "inextricably connected."
 are mutually complementary.
 are "indissolubly linked."

Thus, for every right there is a

corresponding duty. Human rights are
like coins, they have an opposite face
which shows a duty.
Thus, to speak only of rights
while disregarding duties is
irresponsible.
 “It
is like one who builds with one
hand and destroys with the other.”
Pope Leo XIII
 Unfortunately,
the concept of
human rights is
often misunderstood
even perverted
by its most vocal
advocates…
 So we have anomalies
and absurdities like:
the view that
men have a
right to define
marriage as
they see fit.
that men have
a right to take
their own life
if it seems to
them (or to
others) too
burdensome.
The expansion of rights without
any sort of basis other than the
will of the person decrying its
supposed infraction is proof that
there is something more than
the word "right" required to
make a right.

There has to be a reference to an

objective moral order.
 CHURCH’S VIEW
 Human rights are not something
that man creates out of a whole
cloth, on mere subjective whim,
by social contract, or through
popular vote.

• Man is not the measure of

human rights….
 Human rights are based upon an
objective moral order.

 Human rights are built upon

human dignity.
 from the fact that man is made in the
image and likeness of God and is
called to communion with God.
 So God is the measure of
human rights... the "roots
of human rights"
Thus, the Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church
observes, “Human rights are to be
found in the dignity that belongs to
each human being."
(Compendium, No. 152)
But how do we
distinguish true and
authentic human
rights from their
counterfeit?
 TWO (2) SOURCES

1. Reason and nature

 the fundamental source of human
rights as created by God.

God, then, may be said to be the

ultimate guarantor as He is the
ultimate foundation of human
rights.
 TWO (2) SOURCES
Human rights are therefore different
from civil rights.
 Civil rights is based upon the positive
laws of the State.
 So what the State gives, the State
may give away.

But human rights are not

given nor can be taken.
2. Revelation
"The natural foundation of rights appears
all the more solid when, in the light of the
supernatural, it is considered that human
dignity, after having been given by God
and having been profoundly wounded by
sin, was taken on and redeemed by
Jesus Christ in his incarnation, death,
and resurrection."
(Compendium, No. 153)
Human rights are simply given by
God.
 Cannot be taken by the State or by any
human being without giving offense to God.

"The ultimate source of human rights is

not found in the mere will of human
being, in the reality of the State, in public
powers, but in man himself and in God
his Creator."
(Compendium, No. 153)
Since human rights are given
by God, they enjoy a four-part
quality…

• They are universal.

 HR ARE UNIVERSAL
 Since they are founded upon human
nature, they are "present in all human
beings, without exception of time,
place, or subject."
(Compendium, No. 153)

These rights, like the natural law,

apply equally to all humans
irrespective of condition.
Since human rights are given
by God, they enjoy a four-part
quality…

• They are universal.

• They are inviolable.
 HR ARE INVIOLABLE
 For "they are inherent in the
human person and in human
dignity."

Other humans and human

institutions, therefore, have an
obligation to recognize the
inviolability of human rights.
Since human rights are given
by God, they enjoy a four-part
quality…

• They are universal.

• They are inviolable.
• They are inalienable.
 HR ARE INALIENABLE
"No one can
legitimately
deprive another
person, whoever
they may be, of
these rights, since
this would do
violence to their
nature."
(JP II,CST No. 153)
Since human rights are given
by God, they enjoy a four-part
quality…

• They are universal.

• They are inviolable.
• They are inalienable.
• They are indivisible.
 HR ARE INDIVISIBLE
 means that they must be
defended "not only individually,
but also as a whole."
 They are a sort of total package,
encompass man in his integrity, covering
both body and soul, both "material and
spiritual spheres," from the first beginning
of his life to his natural death.
 HR ARE INDIVISIBLE
 means also that we are not entitled to
select some human rights and ignore
others or promote one to the expense of
another.
 "The integral promotion of every category of
human rights is the true guarantee of full
respect for each individual right.“
 This requires that they be recognized to
"apply to every stage of life and to every
political, social, economic, and cultural
situation." (Compendium, No. 67)
 MORE IMPORTANT
HUMAN RIGHTS
(CENTESIMUS ANNUS)

1) “Right to life”
 an integral part of which is the right
of the child to develop in the
mother's womb from the moment
of conception.
2) “Right to live in a united family
and in a moral environment
conducive to the growth of the
child's personality“

3) “Right to develop one's

intelligence and freedom in
seeking and knowing the truth“
4) “Right to share in the work which
makes wise use of the earth's material
resources, and to derive from that
work the means to support oneself and
one's dependents;"

5) “Right to establish freely a family, to

have and to rear children through the
responsible exercise of one's
sexuality;
6) “Right to establish freely a family,
to have and to rear children through
the responsible exercise of one's
sexuality;

7) “Right of religious freedom,

understood as the right to live in the
truth of one's faith and in conformity
with one's transcendent dignity as a
person."
 CATEGORIES OF HUMAN
RIGHTS
 Physical  Legal
 Personal  Cultural
 Civil/Political  Social
 Economic  Religious
 The ‘Negative’ Rights

A number of the human rights can only be expressed in the negative,

as the right to ‘freedom from’.

The right not to be subjected to torture

The right not to be subjected to discrimination

The right not to be subjected to arbitrary arrest

The right not to subjected to detention without charge

The right not to be subjected to slavery

 The Rights of the Child
On 20 November 1959, the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights published the ‘Convention on the
Rights of the Child’.

The Convention states that the Rights of the Child are founded on respect
for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour,
gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth, status or ability.

The rights of the child are promoted by a United Nations organization

called UNICEF. UNICEF’s mission is to work for the protection of children’s
rights throughout the world. The work of UNICEF is guided by the
principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The convention is a legally binding instrument of international law.

 The Rights of the Child

Why do children need a separate statement of rights?

In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special

convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need
special care and protection that adults do not.

Children have the rights to:

• develop their full potential,
• be free from hunger and want,
• Be free from neglect and abuse.

This reflects a new vision of the child. Children are neither the property
of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are
human beings and are the subject of their own rights.
 Refugees and Human Rights
Think about some of these preliminary questions concerning refugees:

Are you prejudiced against refugees? What would cause someone

to become a refugee?

Is a refugee the same

thing as an ‘economic Do you feel sorry for refugees?
migrant’?
…and try to define the term
refugee in a sentence.

What words and phrases What is your typical mental

come to mind when you image of a refugee?
hear the term refugee?

Is a refugee the same thing as an What rights have refugees

asylum seeker? got?

To discuss: ‘Britain has not got room for any more refugees’
 Can you connect the issue of refugees with the
teaching presented so far in this unit?
Human rights
A refugee has the same rights as
everybody else, by virtue of the
fact that the refugee is a human
person. Human rights are not just
for some people, but for
everybody.
The mission of Jesus
Christ
Jesus Christ did not discriminate
but treated all people with equal
respect and compassion. He
often reached out to vulnerable
people, to strangers and to
people who were not Jewish. He
taught us to love our neighbours
and even our enemies.
The United Nations and
the Universal
Declaration
The United Nations has the power
and prestige to work with the issue
of refugees and can use the
Declaration to remind governments
of human rights.
Human duties
We all have a duty to uphold the
human rights of others. We should
not just be concerned to fight for
our own rights. We should be
concerned when others have had
their human rights taken away
from them.
Old Testament
teaching
The Ten Commandments taught
us to love our neighbour as
ourselves. The prophets of the Old
Testament showed great concern
for the poor and vulnerable of
society.
Catholic Social
Teaching
In Pacem in Terris (103) John
XXIII speaks with concern and
compassion about the plight of
refugees and displaced persons.
He defends the right of asylum
and even the right to economic
migration.
 Causes of refugees
Think about some of the issues already discussed, and how these can be the cause of the
refugee problem…
child soldiers
genocide

torture landmines
… and try to identify the
single most significant cause
of the refugee problem.

war and armed conflict poverty and starvation

political oppression and dictatorship environmental destruction

What exactly is meant by ‘the right to political asylum’?

 Where are the refugees from?
Iraq Lebanon
Serbia Palestinian
territories

Refugees do not just appear at random. In different Congo

Burundi
years and different decades, refugees vary in terms
of the countries from which they are fleeing. Can
you guess which are the main groups of refugees
at the moment? You can get help from
Bangladesh
Angola

Burma
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/section/ Afghanistan
where

Somalia What does the list of countries tell us

Eritrea
about the causes of refugees?

Chechnya Ethiopia
Sudan Rwanda
 Some refugee facts
• 78% of refugees come from ten countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, Burundi,
Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Palestine, Somalia and Sudan.
• 25% of all refugees worldwide are Palestinians. The plight of the Palestinians is the
world’s most long-standing refugee problem.
• 86% of refugees are from developing countries
• 45% of refugees are in Asia
• 30% of refugees are in Africa
• 19% of refugees are in Europe
• 5% of refugees are in the USA
• 22% of refugees are internally displaced within their own country
• There were 14.9 million refugees worldwide in 2001

Source: Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org

 Indigenous peoples and human rights
Think about the term ‘indigenous’:

‘native’ ‘belonging naturally’

eg ‘indigenous plants The plants or trees that

or trees’ belong naturally to that area
…and try to
define the term
indigenous in a
sentence.
The animals that belong
‘indigenous species’ naturally to that area

The people that belong

‘indigenous people’ naturally to that country or
region

To discuss: ‘Britain has not got any indigenous peoples’

 Defining the term ‘indigenous’
A people might be described as indigenous because
1) They have ‘always’ lived in a particular area and the area was then colonized or
invaded or taken over by another group, probably a group of people more powerful
or more technologically advanced than them.
2) They have ‘always’ lived in a particular area and in more modern times a nation-
state or country has been artificially created with official boundaries which include
their area and they have ended up living in a separate cultural group within the
state or country or nation
3) They are so independent and isolated from the rest of the modern world that they
do not really belong to a modern nation state or country and are not really subject
to the normal workings of a government.

• An indigenous people would • We would expect them to refer

have to have some sort of to themselves or be aware of
distinctive cultural identity which themselves as indigenous people
might manifest itself in their and to be referred to or generally
language and social customs. accepted by others as such.
 Examples of indigenous people
Look at the three main definitions again and see if you can think of examples of each
category
1. Original inhabitants who have been victims of colonization
Historical
note:
The Maya in Central America, the Aborigines in Australia, the Maori in New
The
Zealand, the native Americans in the USA and Canada.
exploration of
the ‘New
World’ of the
2. Peoples swallowed up into artificially created modern states Americas in
the 15th and
The Kurdish people, some of whom have ended up in the modern state of 16th centuries
Iraq, while others live over the border in the modern state of Turkey. resulted in
cultural conflict
and the
intentional or
3. Peoples isolated from the rest of the modern world unintentional
displacement
or devastation
There are very few of these left, but there are some rain forest tribes in of indigenous
South America and there is also a people called the Sentinelese in the peoples.
Andama islands.
 The issue of indigenous people
So how big is this issue of indigenous people?

The term ‘indigenous peoples’ could be applied to approximately

400 million people worldwide. That’s 6% of the world’s
population. Geographical
note:
They include over 5000 different peoples in over 72 countries of Indigenous
the world. peoples tend
to be non-
Why might they be endangered or threatened with urban and
non-industrial.
extinction?
They might have been forced to move from their original land or They could be
area settled but
they could be
The environment in their land or area might have been badly nomadic.
damaged or destroyed so that they can no longer carry on their They’re likely
traditional way of life to live off the
land in some
Their language and culture might be disappearing because of the way.
great strength of the dominant language culture and the lack of
interest from their own younger generation
 Indigenous peoples around the world
The Inuit are a
vulnerable The Basques in
The ‘Sami’ regard
indigenous people in Spain regard
themselves as the
Alaska themselves as an
indigenous people of
indigenous people
Northern
Scandinavia
There are approx 1 In Papua New
million native Guinea there are
Americans or ‘First over 700 different
Nations’ in Canada indigenous tribes.

There are approx 3

million native
Americans in the US
1.5% of the US Aborigines
population 2,4% of Australia’s
including 563 population
different tribes

The Tuareg people

The Maori people
South America: 30% of the Mexican live in the Sahara
people are the 15% of new
70% of the people of
indigenous Mayan Zealand’s population
Bolivia, and 50% of In India there are 60
people. In the area In Africa it is difficult
the people of Peru million ‘tribals’ or
of Chiapas, almost to identify or define
and Guatemala are members of
100% of the people the indigenous
indigenous ‘Andean- ‘scheduled tribes’.
are indigenous people. The ‘Pigmy’
Amazonian natives’ They comprise 8%
Mayans. people regard
of India’s population.
themselves as
indigenous.
 Pope John Paul II and the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples
Pope John Paul II was the leader of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 until 2005.
Throughout his 27 year period in office he spoke out on hundreds of occasions on the
subject of human rights.
The issue of the rights of indigenous
peoples was very close to his heart.
John Paul II’s many trips around the
world gave him the opportunity to
come into close contact with
indigenous peoples and to hear of their
problems directly from the people.
rd
On January 23 1999, during a flight from Rome to Mexico, the Pope was
asked by reporters about the problems in the Mexican state of Chiapas,
where there had been violence since Zapatista guerrillas launched an
uprising four years before to press for Indian rights. John Paul II said

``The indigenous people were the first owners of the land. There will
be no solution until we recognize that the indigenous people were
the first owners of the land ... The solution must be through
dialogue,'' Pope John Paul II stated.

He founded the John Paul II Institute for the Sahel, an indigenous people
in Africa, in February of 1984, and the "Populorum Progressio" Foundation
for the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America in February of 1992.

In 1994 Pope John Paul II issued an official apology on behalf of the

Catholic Church to indigenous peoples in the Dominican Republic.
Human Rights Violations

1 The Second World War

2 Genocide since 1948
3 Armed conflict since 1948
4 Land mines since 1948
5 Political oppression since 1948
 Human Rights Violations:
The Second World War
One of the main reasons that the nations of the world decided it was time to draw up a list
of human rights in 1948 was because of the trauma of the Second World War and
during which so many human rights violations were carried out by the Nazi regime.
Pause for a moment and try to list the atrocities carried out in the name of the Nazi regime

Bombing of Mass murder of Arrest without trial

civilians Murder of political gypsies
opponents
Murder of 6 million
Murder of Abuse of prisoners Jews
homosexuals of war
Mass deportation
Persecution of
Christians and of
Slave labour
Arrest and Torture during Jehovah’s
execution without interrogation Witnesses
trial
Involuntary Cruel medical
Confiscation of euthanasia of the experimentation
Mass murder of property sick and elderly without consent
resistance fighters
 Human Rights Violations:
The Second World War and the
Nuremberg Trials
After the Second World War the victorious allies decided to set up war crimes trials in the
form of an International Military Tribunal. This was held in the city of Nuremberg, which
had been a very important place in the celebration of Nazism. At Nuremberg 22 high
level Nazis were put on trial. This was the first time that human rights violations
committed by those waging aggressive wars were prosecuted. The prosecutions
included the planning of atrocities by high government officials. The Nazi leaders were
tried according to the accepted principles of law. The Nuremberg trials effectively
established that planning, preparing and initiating aggressive war constitutes an
international crime. It also established that atrocities were not just the responsibility of
the person actually committing them. They were the responsibility of the highest
government officials who ordered or planned them.
You can find out more about the Nuremberg war trials on
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/holo_nazi.htm

To discuss: What exactly do we mean by a ‘crime against humanity’?

 Human Rights Violations:
The Second World War and Genocide
Since the Second World War there have been three major acts of genocide which have
shocked the world:
1. The genocide in the South East Asia country of Cambodia, committed by the regime of
Pol Pot. This took place between 1975 and 1979. It is believed that 2 million people
died in this genocide. This genocide is portrayed in the film ‘The Killing Fields’, made in
1984 and directed by Roland Joffe.
2. The genocide committed in the former Yugoslavia, involving the people of Bosnia,
Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo. A violent conflict involving ethnic and religious differences
raged for three years, from 1992 to 1995, in which it is estimated over 200,000 people
died.
3. The genocide in the African country of Rwanda, committed by the Hutu tribes and the
Tutsi tribes, who turned on each other in April 1994.
This genocide is portrayed in the film ‘Hotel Rwanda’, (2004) directed by Terry George.
You can find out more about the genocides of the 20th century on
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/genocide_massacre.htm

To discuss: Why was the international community not able to prevent these acts of
genocide?
 Human Rights Violations:
Genocide and the Trial of Saddam Hussein
During the 1980s there was a war between Iraq and Iran. In March 1988, during a
major battle between Iraq and Iran, chemical weapons were used by the Iraqi
government forces to kill a number of people in the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja.
Estimates of casualties range from several hundred to 7,000 people. Almost all
accounts of the incident regard Iraq as responsible for this gas attack. It is the
largest-scale use of chemical weapons against civilians in modern times. Saddam
Hussein’s regime was toppled in 2003 and Saddam Hussein was captured by
American forces. The trial of Saddam Hussein began in October 2005. The trial of
Saddam Hussein is an important landmark in the development of international
criminal law. The transitional government of Iraq has incorporated genocide, war
crimes, and crimes against humanity into the Iraqi national legal system. It also
established a special court which has the task of investigating, prosecuting, and
trying Saddam Hussein and other members of his regime for these international
crimes and for certain other national crimes.
You can find out more about the trial of Saddam Hussein on
http://www.loc.gov/law/public/saddam/

To discuss: Is it possible for Saddam Hussein to receive a fair trial?

 Human Rights Violations:
Armed conflict since 1948
The First World War (1914-1918) was famously expected to be ‘the war to end all wars’. Only 20 years later the world
was engulfed by another global conflict which raged for 6 years. The shock of the Second World War gave rise to a
huge desire for world-wide justice and peace, seen in the creation of the United Nations Organization and the
production of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, wars have continued to take their toll on humanity,
always involving the death of innocent civilians and the large-scale abuse of human rights.
Find out about the causes of one of these conflicts and report your findings back to the class.

Korean War Falklands War War in Vietnam

Bosnian War
1950 - 1953 1982 1946 - 1975
1992 - 1995

US Afghanistan Russia Afghanistan Arab – Israel

Ethiopia - Eritrea Conflict
2001 - present 1979 - 1988
1974 - 1993 1948 - present

First Gulf War Democratic Angola Civil War

Nigeria Civil War Republic of Congo
1991 1967 - 1970 1975 - 2002
1998 - 2003

Chechen War Second Gulf War Somalia Civil War

Iraq – Iran War
1994 - present 2003 - present 1977 - 2006
1980 - 1988
 Human Rights Violations:
The Arab – Israeli Conflict
One of the most protracted conflicts in modern history is the conflict between Israel
and its Arab neighbours. The modern history of Israel is very complicated. The
creation of the modern state of Israel came about largely as a result of the terrible
sufferings inflicted on the Jewish people during the Second World War. The State
of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 and Israel was admitted as a member of
the United Nations on May 11, 1949. The creation of the state of Israel and the
resulting violent conflicts over the years have resulted in the displacement of large
numbers of the Palestinian people. There have been many attempts at peace
settlements. The latest flare-up of violence took place in 2006, with armed conflict
taking place between Hezbollah guerillas in Southern Lebanon and Israeli armed
forces.
For a pro-Palestinian analysis of For a pro-Israeli analysis of the
the conflict, go to conflict, go to
http://www.zionism.netfirms.com
http://www.caabu.org /issues/AJC_Guide_To_The_Pe
rplexed.html

To discuss: What issues in Pacem in Terris does the Arab-Israeli conflict raise?
 Human Rights Violations:
The Arms Trade
It is difficult to talk about war, peace and human rights without referring to the arms trade.
• $21 billion per year spent by governments on arms.
• There are 639 million small arms in the world, or one for every ten people, produced by over 1,000
companies in at least 98 countries. 60% of small arms are in civilian hands.
• 8 million more small arms are produced every year.
• 16 billion units of ammunition are produced each year - more than two new bullets for every man,
woman and child on the planet.
• More than 500,000 people on average are killed with conventional arms every year: one person
every minute.
• In World War One, 14 per cent of total casualties were civilian. In World War Two this grew to 67
per cent. In some of today’s conflicts the figure is even higher.
• There are 300,000 child soldiers involved in conflicts.
• One third of countries spend more on the military than they do on health-care services.
• An average of US$22 billion a year is spent on arms by countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East and
Latin America. Half of this amount would enable every girl and boy in those regions to go to primary
school.
• In Africa, economic losses due to war are about $15 billion per year.
For more arms trade facts see
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/press/releases/controlarms_facts.htm
To discuss: What responsibility do the rich countries bear for ‘third world’
conflicts?
 Human Rights Violations:
Landmines
Landmines…
• one of the hidden and often forgotten consequences of war and armed conflict
• are to be found in some of the poorest and least developed countries in the world
• do not discriminate between who they injure or kill. They are triggered by a footfall
• do not recognise a ceasefire, but continue to work long after the war or conflict has ceased
• cause blindness, burns, wounds and loss of limbs. They are designed to injure, not kill
• have caused hundreds of thousands of casualties around the world
• kill livestock and wild animals and destroy the environment, polluting the soil and water supply
• kill peacekeepers, aid workers and medical personnel
• affect more than 80 countries worldwide and every region of the world
• injure or kill approximately 20,000 people per year, including 8,000 children
• are estimated at 50 million in the ground in the world today
• cost $3 to make and $1000 to remove
• prevent farming, economic growth and reconstruction
• last forever and are still being cleared from the Second World War

For more information on landmines see http://www.icbl.org

To discuss: Should we allow landmines to be produced, or should they be

banned?
 Human Rights Violations:
Political Oppression
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights envisages a society in which governments respect the
human rights of their citizens and do everything they can to promote the welfare of all members of
their society. This was the vision endorsed by Pope John XXIII in Pacem in Terris. There is a
general consensus today that democracy is the form of government best suited to the protection
and promotion of respect for citizens’ rights.

What are the differences between a democracy and a tyranny or dictatorship?

Democracy Tyranny or Dictatorship
Rule of law The ruling authority is able to ignore the legal system
Independent judiciary Judges are loyal to the ruling authority
Non-political armed forces Armed forces are there to back up the ruling authority
Free and fair elections Elections are non existent or there is only one candidate
Press and media free from government control Newspapers, television and radio are censored or controlled
Freedom of speech Citizens are not allowed to speak out to criticise the rulers
Freedom of movement, assembly and association Citizens cannot go where they want or meet together

Can you name the dictators and tyrants of the 20th century?
Can you name any countries in the world today where there is no
democracy?
 Human Rights Violations:
Political Oppression and Torture
One of the most distressing aspects of dictatorships and tyrannies is their tendency to
use torture. Torture is one of the most widespread abuses of human rights in the
world today. The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is an international human
rights document, published by the United Nations and intended to prevent torture.
There is a UN Committee Against Torture, which tries to work with the leaders of
different countries. UNCAT came into force in June 1987 and 141 countries have
subscribed to it.

You can find out more about the issue of torture at

http://www.omct.org
Try to find out:
What is the definition of torture?
What forms does torture take?
Which countries in the world today are associated with torture?
What can be the long term effects of torture?
Which organisations are working to prevent torture?
To discuss: Has the United States been guilty of torture in its pursuit of the ‘war
on terror’?
 Conclusions

You are now aware of some secular documents in which human rights are enshrined:

The European Convention

Convention relating to the
of Human Rights Status of
1950 Refugees
The Universal
1954
Declaration of
Human Rights
1948

Convention on the
Rights of
Convention on the
Indigenous
Rights of the Child
Peoples
1959
2006
 Catholic Social Teaching on Human Rights

You have been introduced to three major documents of Catholic Social Teaching

The Catechism of Pacem in Terris The Compendium

the Catholic of the Social
‘Peace on Earth’
Church Doctrine of the
1994 1963 Church
2004
Pope John XXIII

You can find out about the Social Teaching of Pope John Paul II in

Sollicitudo Rei Centesimus

Laborem Socialis
Exercens Annus
The Social
On Human Work Concern of the The 100th Year
Church
1981 1991
1987
You have gained a map of human rights…

religious

physical personal

civil / political economic

cultural legal

social
 ...and an awareness of human rights abuses
racism lack of health care war and armed conflict
land mines

intimidation unjustly low wages religious persecution arms race and arms trade
child soldiers
dictatorship religious
invasion of privacy

bribery physical personal

civil / political economic

genocide cultural legal starvation

rigged elections detention without trial

social
mock trials and show trials
lack of access to water corruption
totalitarianism political prisoners
prejudice and discrimination
homelessness torture
destruction of the cultural imperialism
environment street children
censorship of the media
 "GAP BETWEEN THE
'LETTER' AND THE 'SPIRIT'
OF HUMAN RIGHTS."
The Church's notion of human
rights is clearly different from the
understanding by modern
liberalism or moral relativism,
which tend to think only of rights,
and never of duties.
 This results to a huge credibility
gap between:
 word and deed,
 the lip service given to rights and
the "painful reality of violations
 wars and violence of every kind.

We are like the Pharisees of old of whom Jesus

observed: "for they say, and do not do." (Matt. 23:2)
We must therefore work towards
closing this gap and assuring a
greater correlation between word
and deed, letter and spirit.
 As Christians, we are called to perform
acts of sacrifice when it comes to
rights.
 BUT in what way we can perform acts of
sacrifice when it comes to rights:
 the more fortunate should renounce some
of their rights so as to place their goods
more generously at the service of others.

What should inspire us?

Leviticus 25:35 “When someone is reduced to
poverty, we have an obligation to help.
 Ruth 2:2-23
Boaz cares for Ruth, a widow and a
foreigner, giving her far more than the law requires.
 Tobit 4:5-11
Give from what you have received and do not turn
away from the poor.
 Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth to speak on behalf of those
in need.
 Isaiah 1:16-17
Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend
the orphan, plead for the widow.
 Jeremiah 22: 13-16
A legitimate government upholds the rights of the
poor and vulnerable.
 Matthew 25: 31-46
Just as you did it to the least of these, you did it to
me.
 Luke 16:19-31
The rich man has a responsibility to care
for Lazarus.
 Acts 4:32-35
There was not a needy person among them.
 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
God’s gifts are given to be shared.
 James 2:14-18
Faith without works is dead.
We must remember Christ's words:
"as long as you did it not to one of
the least of these, neither did you
do it to me."
Human dignity can be
protected and a healthy
community can be
achieved only if human
rights are protected and
responsibilities are met.
Human dignity can be
protected and a healthy
community can be
achieved only if human
rights are protected and
responsibilities are met.

Therefore, every person

has a fundamental right to
life and a right to those
things required for human
decency.