What Are Human Rights and Why Are They Important?

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Human rights are a set of principles that impose an obligation on governments to respect and protect the individual civil, cultural, economic, political and social freedoms and dignity of all people. These universally accepted and globally shared principles, embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serve as a foundation for international cooperation in preventing and responding to human rights violations.

When governments ignore these internationally accepted standards they pay a price – in the form of diminished or lost freedoms and liberties, loss of livelihood and in some cases, loss of life. For instance, a government that fails to provide its citizens with adequate education services leaves them vulnerable to unemployment, health problems and even poverty. When the right to food is ignored, a person becomes vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition.

A fundamental principle of human rights is that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and worth. This means that all human beings are entitled to the same minimum standard of living, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or social status. It also means that no one’s right can be denied or violated without affecting the enjoyment of other human rights.

All human rights are interrelated and indivisible. Economic, civil and cultural rights must be seen as inseparable from each other and cannot be positioned in a hierarchy, with some being more important than others. A right to food is inseparable from a right to education, for example, and denial of one right inevitably impairs the enjoyment of the other.

Despite the widespread acceptance of human rights as the basis for international law, the principles remain controversial in many parts of the world. This is a sign both of the complex and varied nature of human rights and the fact that they are not a fixed ‘ideology’ but an evolving area of moral and legal thought. It is also an indication of the need for sustained and coordinated efforts to tackle human rights violations, ranging from imposing sanctions or embargoes on countries that violate them to sending peacekeeping missions and prosecuting individuals for war crimes and genocide.

Many of the issues raised in the debate on human rights are sensitive and complex, such as slavery, female genital mutilation and the death penalty. There are no clear-cut answers but, for instance, it is now generally recognised that slavery is a violation of human rights and female genital mutilation is a form of violence.

However, just as people’s rights are inherent in their humanity, so too are their duties towards other members of society and the state. This is enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which includes a duty to protect the rights of others and promote human rights. This involves a balance of rights and duties and requires the active participation of all stakeholders. For more information on the relationship between rights and responsibilities, see the FAQ section.