Human rights are a set of basic principles that people are entitled to simply by virtue of being human. These include the right to life, the right to security of person and the right to freedom of expression and assembly. They are indivisible, meaning that the enjoyment of one right is inextricably linked to the enjoyment of many others and that the denial of one right prevents the exercise of other rights.
These principles are enforceable through international law and can be used to punish countries that commit human rights violations. They can also be a guide for international cooperation to promote practical measures at the national level. This new idea of human rights replaced the Cold War concept that human rights were a set of privileges that could be denied by governments or individuals. This was the view that was responsible for a lack of international human rights activity in the past and the failure to take action when governments were infringing on people’s rights.
However, this approach has its drawbacks. The number of people who would have to be persuaded to accept a theological justification for human rights is immense and, in the context of an increasingly diverse world, this approach does not provide a way for human rights to be secure at the practical level. Legal enactment at both the domestic and international levels offers a more secure basis for human rights.
Another approach to justification is to argue that human rights are a part of actual human moralities, which are imperative norms of behaviour backed by reasons and values. Since almost all human groups seem to have moralities that include a prohibition on the intentional killing of innocent persons, this seems to offer a strong argument for the existence of human rights independent of divine or human enactment.
A further point to consider is that human rights are indivisible, meaning that they should not be viewed as a hierarchy of separate rights and that the enjoyment of one right is inextricably connected to the enjoyment of many others. For example, the enjoyment of the right to privacy depends on the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression and assembly. The right to a free and decent standard of living depends on the enjoyment of the rights to food, housing and work.
The final point to consider is that human rights are a social product, the result of the actions of individual citizens and the institutions that shape them. This means that human rights are a social construct and, as such, can only be sustained through the efforts of individual citizens, often assisted by family and community members.
In the future, human rights advocates must continue to seek ways to improve the status of people who are deprived of their basic human rights and to strengthen and enhance mechanisms for protecting and promoting those rights. They must ensure that the principles that underpin human rights are reflected in policies, laws and programmes at all levels of government. They must also be reflected in the attitudes of all individuals and their institutions, including the media. They must also remain open to criticism and constructive feedback, which is the only way that they can continue to improve their effectiveness.