HHR&I - Topic 8 EQ2 Flashcards
What is the universal declaration of human rights (UDHR)?
- produced by the UN in 1948, it sets out 30 universal rights
- it’s a declaration not a treaty, so it’s not legally binding. However, declaration defines two key terms ‘fundamental freedom’ and ‘human rights’ which are incorporated into the UN charter which all 193 members are bound to recognise and respect
-not all countries have signed the UDHR, those that didn’t sign in 1948 include:
1) Soviet Union = considered declaration did not condemn fascism and nazism properly
2) Saudi Arabia = due to the article that everyone has the right ‘to change their belief or religion’
What are some positives and negatives of the UDHR ?
✅inclusion of human rights in national culture and government policies
✅national and international protection for cultures and ethnic groups
✅promotion of democracy
❌some believe that humans rights are placed above sovereignty
❌executions still take place, slavery exists, and gender issues persist
❌some countries do not agree with all the rights and are selective in applying the articles and covenants for political, religious, or economic reasons
What is the the European convention on human rights (ECHR)?
- formed by the council of Europe in 1950 to maintain human rights and fundamental freedoms across Europe as a whole ( based on the UDHR)
-there are 59 articles and various protocols, on which the ECHR passes judgements and cases brought to it. - in 1959, the European court of human rights was set up to interpret and ensure compliance with the ECHR
How has the ECHR been integrated into through the UK human rights act (1998)?
-UK human rights act of 1998 makes the ECHR more effective in the UK law, requires public bodies to respect and protect human rights and parliamentary,was that are passed are compatible with the ECHR
What makes the ECHR controversial ?
-argued that the ECHR threatens British sovereignty by overturning national court rulings
- UK deemed violation of the ECHR in 60% of cases brought against it since 1959. This compares to average of 83% of ECHR judgments lost across all European states
What is the Geneva convention?
-international treaties that create rules for war situations, especially offering protection to civilians,medical workers, and prisoners (only applies during armed conflict)
-4 conventions were designed to be a body of rules that protect civilians and people who are no longer fighting — including wounded and sick
-Geneva convention has been almost universally ratified — 196 countries having signed up
-Geneva convention used to determine the definitions of what counts as a ‘war crime’
Why do some countries have differing priorities ?
-usually human rights are promoted strongest by fully democratic countries, who feel economically secure.
-modern communications have increased public pressure on national governments and the UN to take action, as people receive news about human rights situations in other countries
-sanctions are often used against other countries that abuse human rights.
Why do some countries chose economic development over human rights ?
- developing countries that become democratic are expected to promote human rights, but these young democracies are often flawed and prioritise economic development and internal security, which may infringe the rights of some people
-people within a country may also reluctantly accept some human rights abuses if they perceive that economic development is worth it.
Give examples of countries with differing priorities
1) North Korea
— describes itself as a self reliant socialist state
— it holds elections, but these only involve one political party
— today, NK lives in self-imposed isolation from rest of the world. Citizens are forbidden to use the internet, there’s not freedom of speech…
— NK suffers from food shortages and malnutrition - 1990s killed estimated 2.5million people (approx 10% of its population)
— per capita GDP, NK is ranked 195th
Give examples of countries with differing priorities
2) South Korea
— embraced capitalism and is no longer war torn but has a high income advanced economy
— today, democracy index ranks SK number 2 in Asia. It also ranks among the highest in the world in terms of education, healthcare, and ease doing business
— per capita GDP, SK is ranked 40th
Does a democratic government always mean protection of human rights and speech ?
1) India
— economy hasn’t performed better than the Chinese economy. Perhaps because India is a democracy and therefore has better human rights
— India has become the worlds largest democracy
— most recent election in 2014 brought about a change in government. The BJP took over from congress
— India has made significant progress in protecting human rights. However, human rights watch stayed that there are serious concerns about the treatment of minority groups and women’s rights
Does a democratic government always mean protection of human rights and speech ?
2) China
— economic reform introduced in 1979 have seen China become increasingly involved in the global economy. Today China is described as a ‘socialist market economy’
— increasing trade with the world has led to it rivalling the USA as worlds largest economy
— senior Chinese leaders reject the universal human rights, seeing them as a threat towards their power
— however, increasingly the Chinese government is being challenged by Chinas rapid economic growth - with greater wealth, better schooling, and access to social media
—> more calls in country for greater levels of democratic freedom.
How does corruption impact human rights ?
-Countries with a high corruption perception index (CPI) are normally the most democratic
- corruption can impact human rights in a country as this could be within a government which could allow them to divert foreign aid and scarce resources into the private pockets of politicians. Corruption within governments could also allow for fixed elections or court cases, which undermine basic human rights.
— example: Zimbabwe- 1980 Robert Mugabe became prime minister. He controlled the county due to questionable elections, corruption, and a firm denial of human rights, the scale of his corruption brought the country on a brink of bankruptcy.
Is there a variation between the rights of different genders and ethnic groups in some post colonial states?
Rwandan genocide:
-mass slaughter of the Tutsi in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority government
- in a 100 day period from April 7th to mid July 1994 it is estimated that 800,000 people died
- there has always been disagreements between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, but the animosity between them has grown substantially since the colonial period
- during the genocide, the bodies of Tutsis weee thrown into rivers, with their killers saying they were being sent back to Ethiopia (Tutsis were thought to have origins that lay in Ethiopia)
How are differences in rights reflected in health and education ?
There’s broad correlation between human rights and access to health and education. The UDHR declared that the access to these are the most basic human rights
1)South America
- over 40 million indigenous people live in Latin America
- indigenous communities and their environments are increasingly under threat from mining, oil extraction, and dam or road building. They are being driven off their homelands and ending up in towns and cities.
—> they are paying the costs of development
- these indigenous people are poorer and less educated, are more likely to commit suicide and are generally in worse health than the rest of the population.
2) North America
- American Indians and Alaskan natives compromise about 2% of the US population
- Indian territories are theoretically sovereign, but subject to treatise and federal laws but only tribes officially recognise sec are entitled to assistance (tribal recognition act 2015)
- health if tribes is provided through Indian health service (IHS) which provides care for about 2 million people. Although the IHS is underfunded, errors in medical records and unqualified medical staff
- education performance levels were 10% below the US white populations
- however, the generation indigenous initiative (2015) did provide increases in funding for health and education
