Human Identity, Social Structures, and Universal Rights

Human Identity and Social Nature

Children develop their first consciousness of themselves, or their identity, at about a year and a half old. We are born with unique, salient resources to relate to others; the human being is a social being by nature.

Dignity and the Structure of Society

Dignity: This refers to the absolute value—the unconditional worth every human has by the fact of being. A person can never be a means or be used for any purpose.

Society: A group of individuals organized to meet through mutual cooperation all or any of the purposes of life.

Parental and Public Responsibilities

Fathers and mothers take on the responsibility to educate their children as individuals and as members of a given society when they decide to have children. Society, especially public authorities, in turn assumes the responsibility to protect parenthood. They also have a responsibility to care for families experiencing difficulties they cannot solve by themselves through necessary social services, ensuring the respect of the fundamental rights of all members.

Gender Roles and Life Transitions

Women's reproductive activity consists of family care and housework, while men are assigned production activities, meaning income-generating vital economic tasks.

Life Transition: This is the passage from one generation to another: children to teenagers, adolescents to youth, youth to adults, and adults to the elderly.

Intergenerational Relations and Social Exclusion

Intergenerational Relations: These are relations that occur between people of different generations. A generation is understood as a group of people who share a vital transition age.

Social Exclusion: This occurs when a person or group cannot access full participation in the political, economic, and cultural life of the society to which they belong.

Civil Society: This term refers to the set of relations between citizens and the organizations they create to enforce their rights, defend their interests and ideas, and participate in social and political life.

Foundations of Human Rights

The mutual recognition that people establish between themselves is the starting point of human rights, because it involves recognizing the dignity of each person.

The Universal Declaration and Rights of Minors

Human rights were recognized in 1948 when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted them. The main rights for those under 18 include:

• Protection from maltreatment and abuse
• Access to health and education
• A decent life
• Participation in decisions that affect them