Human Rights – Interrelated, Interdependent & Indivisible – Gender

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http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx

 

 

 

What are human
rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our
nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour,
religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our
human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated,
interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the
forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other
sources of international law. International human rights law lays down
obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain
acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms
of individuals or groups.

Universal and
inalienable

The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of
international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in
numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and
resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example,
noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights
and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and
cultural systems.

 

All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified
four or more, of the core human rights treaties, reflecting consent of States
which creates legal obligations for them and giving concrete expression to
universality. Some fundamental human rights norms enjoy universal protection
by customary international law across all boundaries and civilizations.

Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in
specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to
liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court
of law.

Interdependent
and indivisible

All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political
rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of
expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work,
social security and education , or collective rights, such as the rights to
development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and
interdependent. The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the
others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects the
others.  

Equal and
non-discriminatory

Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting
principle in international human rights law. The principle is present in all
the major human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of
international human rights conventions such as the International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.  

The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and
freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of
non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle
of non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of equality, as stated
in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings
are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Both Rights and
Obligations

 Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume
obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to
fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain
from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The
obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups
against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must
take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At
the individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we should also
respect the human rights of others.

Related links

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Human Face for Human Rights Human Rights Day List of Human Rights issues   Human Rights in the World   International Human Rights Law