What Human Rights do we have?

Human Rights are something that we have just because we are human. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was set up and established after the Second World War as a means to ensure that all people of all races, religion and ethnic backgrounds are treated equally and fairly in a just world. It was established to protect individuals and after realising the true extent of the atrocities committed during World War 2, the UDHR was created and adopted in 1948 to ensure they would never happen again. The formation of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 meant that over 50 member states were able to contribute to the final draft of the UDHR. It was the first attempt to safeguard human rights and freedoms on a global level and after 1948, it was signed by governments as a pledge to protect the rights and freedoms of their citizens.

What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)?

The UDHR consists of 30 articles (promises) that every human being is entitled to. Many governments throughout the world have signed the UDHR, however these rights are only what the government promises for its citizens, they are not considered legal rights nor are they legally binding until they become law in a given country.

The Human Rights Act is a UK law that means that workplaces and public organisations are obliged to treat everyone equally, fairly with dignity and with respect. The law was passed in 1998 which means that people in the UK can have their human rights defended in the UK courts.

What are the 30 articles of the UDHR?

Some Human Rights in the UDHR include:

Article 3 - Life, liberty and security of the person

This right protects people by ensuring that everyone has the right to their life, not to be killed and to be kept safe.

Article 4 - No one should be held in slavery

This right protects people from being held against their will and from being exploited.

Article 5 - No one should be subjected to torture or inhumane treatment

This right protects people from being hurt from torture.

Article 10 - Right to a fair trial

This right protects people from being treated unjustly by the law, people are entitled to a fair trial in the courts.

Article 12 - No one should experience interference with privacy, family, home or correspondence

This right protects people from invasion of their privacy. No one should have their post opened by others without permission or have their private telephone conversations listened to by others, without consent.

Article 19 - The right to freely express their views

This right protects people's right to express their views and not fear torture, abuse or imprisonment for doing so.

Article 21 - The right to vote

Everyone has the right to take part in government and vote in regular and free elections.

Article 23 - The right to work with equal pay for equal work

This right protects people from discrimination in the workplace where everyone doing the same job are paid the same amount of money

Article 25 - The right to adequate health and well-being

This right protects people's health and well-being. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being.

Article 26 - The right to free education

This right means that education should be free and compulsory to elementary level.

Check out the CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work Second Edition Textbook to find out more or check out: My Revision Notes: CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work: Second Edition

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