When a person’s rights are violated, it is a very serious matter. It may be a violation of civil rights, such as being denied freedom of speech or religion, or it may be a violation of privacy, for example when someone’s personal belongings are stolen or when the police illegally search their house without warrant. It’s important for people to understand what their rights are and how to protect them from being violated.
The term “human rights” refers to a set of principles that are rooted in the basic nature of human beings. They are universal, inalienable and interrelated. These rights are not subject to negotiation or sale, and they cannot be derogated from by any government in any circumstance.
These fundamental principles are the basis of a new international order that was forged after World War II. It was the first time that countries came together to enshrine universal standards of justice and fairness in law. This international system of law was created to prevent another world war and to ensure that no one could be treated in a way that undermined their dignity.
Almost every culture and most civilised governments support human rights, which are fundamentally about the value of all human beings. They are about the dignity of each individual, and that each person is a moral and spiritual as well as a physical being. They are about the fact that human beings deserve to live with a certain degree of security and peace, and that they need to be free to pursue happiness in their own way.
Human rights are based on the idea that everyone has basic needs, and that they have an inalienable right to life and liberty. They are a response to the longing of human beings for freedom, equality and protection from injustice. They are not a 20th-century invention, but have been sought by many cultures and traditions. For example, the code of Hammurabi, who wrote laws in Ancient Babylon in 1750 BC, outlined some of the core principles that are still the foundation for many human rights today, including the principle that all people are equal before the law.
There are some differences between countries when it comes to implementing human rights. For example, not all countries have ratified the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but the majority of countries recognise that it is not only their legal duty to respect human rights but also their moral obligation to do so.
All humans have the same basic human rights, and these are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These include the rights to be recognised everywhere as a person, to freedom and security of persons, and to equality before the law. This means that all people, including criminals, heads of state, children, women, men, blacks and whites, the rich and the poor, Africans, Americans, Europeans – even prisoners and those accused of terrorism, charity workers, teachers, dancers, astronauts – are entitled to the same treatment under the law.