We all have human rights in many different forms in our lives. Some, even many of which, we are not even aware of. Take a look at this section (and the following section) to find out what your rights are. Make yourself familiar with your rights.
Back in the day, people only had rights because they were part of a group, like a family for instance (respect, honour, protection through the group etc). This however, excluded people who did not fit within this kind of schema. Then, in 539 BC, Cyrus the Great, after conquering the city of Babylon, 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. Basically, he recognised that every individual had human rights.
The idea of human rights spread to India, Greece and 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.
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) came into being in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II.
The purpose of the UN is to bring peace to all nations of the world. After World War II, a committee, headed by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, wrote a special document which “declares” the rights that everyone in the entire world should have. This is what is now the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today there are 192 member states of the UN, all of whom have signed on in agreement with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Where Do Universal Rights Begin?
"In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."
—Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Chair of the United Nations Commission that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
How human rights differ…
There are many instances of human rights’ breaches. Although most countries have adopted international human rights into their national laws, they can be adopted in different ways or levels. This is referred to as 'ratification'. Ratification means that international human rights are incorporated but under certain circumstances. The circumstances are usually in accordance with individual country political stances, morals, religious beliefs etc. Human rights therefore can differ to some extent from one country to the next. International human rights can also differ under times of war. This can include imprisonment, torture.
Click here for the full version of the Declaration of Human Rights
Click here for the simplified version the the Declaration of Human Rights
Click here for the International Human Rights Law