MPU3333/03

Human Rights

T1 - Unit 1

Slide 1 of 25
Brief distinction between

Democracy
and
Human Rights
 3 types of democracy:

 Procedural democracy

 Liberal democracy

 Social democracy

3, 11:34 Slide 3 of 25
 1948 Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR)

Human rights have become an accepted legal and normative

standard through which to judge the quality of human dignity.

Human rights are moral claims accorded legal recognition and

states are legally obliged to ensure that they respect, protect and
fulfil these claims. Respecting human rights requires states to
refrain from violating them. Protecting human rights requires
states to prevent the violation of human rights by third parties,
such as private companies, non-governmental organisations,
paramilitary and insurgency groups, and “uncivil” or
undemocratic movements

25, 12:00 Slide 4 of 25

Remember that your human rights can never be
taken away, although they can sometimes be
restricted — for example, if you break the law,
or in
the interests of national security. These basic
rights
are based on shared values such as dignity,
fairness,
equality, respect and independence. These
values are
defined and protected by law.
 3 Categorisation of human rights:

1. Civil and political rights

2. Economic, social and cultural
rights
3. Solidarity rights

1, 12:01 Slide 6 of 25
 History of UDHR – After
WW2

The UDHR formed the basis for two

covenants which were adopted by the
General Assembly in 1966: the
International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These
Covenants have binding status in
international law. The Declaration and the
Covenants are collectively known as the
“International Bill of Human Rights.”
Today, the Universal Declaration,
translated into 350 languages, is the best-
known and most often cited human rights
5, 12:06 Slide 7 of 25
 Legal status of the UDHR

The UDHR was originally formulated as

“soft
law”; it was aspirational, not legally
binding. Since its adoption, however, the
UDHR has been complemented by the two
covenants that are legally binding on the
nations that have signed and ratified
them.

5, 12:11 Slide 8 of 25
 2 Important Covenants
1. The International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), which came into
force in 1976 and has been ratified by 168
nations.

2. The International Covenant on Economic,

Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which
also came into force in 1976 and has been
ratified by 164 nations.

5, 12:11 Slide 9 of 25
Discussion: Why is dignity so
important to a person?
Activity:

Choose and explain with example

one article from the 30 articles of
UDHR on whether human rights are
upheld or violated in Malaysia?
 10 minutes TMA1
open discussion

Time waits for no man/woman, …

So, start to answer your TMA as

soon as possible and submit on
time.