Human rights are moral principles that establish standards of behaviour that apply to all people – regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, religion or socio-economic status. They protect individuals against oppressive and discriminatory behaviour by governments or other powerful entities and promote progress towards fair, thriving societies. As legal rights, they provide a route to accountability and change through national courts and international mechanisms.
Human rights also impose duties on individuals and institutions to respect and uphold these rights. These include a responsibility to respect the human rights of others and not to interfere with them in any way. They also involve a duty to take action to ensure that rights are respected, including by making legitimate claims.
The term ‘human rights’ is often used to refer to a set of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that are protected by international law. However, the scope of human rights is broad and encompasses many aspects of a person’s life, from freedom of speech to protection against enslavement. These rights are indivisible and interdependent, and no right can be enjoyed fully without the others.
In addition, these rights are not static: they are constantly evolving as a result of new moral and ethical considerations. Inevitably, disagreements arise over which rights should be considered important and how they can be best protected in different contexts. Despite these differences, the concept of human rights is widely recognised and supported by international organisations, treaties and national laws.
Human rights are a crucial foundation of a healthy society and should be valued as such. They safeguard autonomy and freedom, along with access to the basic requisites of life – such as food, housing and health care. They protect against oppressive behaviour by governments, drive progress towards fairer, thriving societies and serve as a foundation for international legal accountability.
Developing policies and procedures for responding to human rights issues in the workplace can help employers avoid potential breaches of the Code. It can also create a positive culture of human rights awareness and help employees to understand what they should do in the event of a possible breach.
The atrocities of World War II sparked international debate on how to address issues relating to human rights, which culminated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols, forms the core of an international bill of human rights.
As the number of rights grows, more international institutions are being established to interpret and monitor these rights. The United Nations has a range of bodies that investigate violations and encourage countries to comply with international law, including commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions and UN Special Rapporteurs who focus on specific countries or issues.
In addition, corporations and international financial institutions have a duty not to contribute to human rights abuses through their business activities. This can be done by developing and implementing human rights policies, by engaging with local communities to ensure that the benefits of projects are shared fairly, and by working with partners to identify and minimise the risk of a negative impact on human rights.