Upholding Human Rights: Global Frameworks and Citizen Action

International Human Rights Frameworks

United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms

The United Nations, through the figure of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, implements actions in defense of human rights. This office promotes knowledge and development, and leads the international movement for human rights. Additionally, the UN Human Rights Council has various procedures for their defense.

• They are responsible for monitoring the human rights situation in specific countries or territories.
• They review serious violations of human rights worldwide.
• They are required to report publicly on these matters.

European Court of Human Rights

The European Union has the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Citizens can appeal to this court if national courts fail to recognize their rights. An individual can go to this court, even to file a lawsuit against a state measure to which they belong.

Citizen Attitudes and Responsibilities

Key Civic Virtues

• Responsibility: Being responsible means acting consciously, taking into account the consequences of one's actions, and fulfilling duties to oneself and others.
• Solidarity: This is a feeling that unites us with others, recognizing our need for mutual aid and respect.
• Justice: A good citizen must be just, impartial, and objective in their judgments.
• Participation: Citizens must be participatory, as knowing what needs to be done is useless if it is not acted upon.

Ethical Theory and Human Rights

One of the few methods to check whether an ethical or scientific theory is true is to examine its results. To check the strength of an ethical theory, one can examine the major problems of humanity and see how human rights offer solutions.

Consequences of Human Rights Violations

Negative Societal Impacts

• Discrimination: Without respect for human rights, the principle that all are equal before the law is ignored, and those in power make arbitrary decisions. This can introduce unfair differences between classes, genders, and religions.
• Insecurity: Without the protection of rights, individuals are at the mercy of tyrants who can eliminate their enemies. Dictatorships can act at will because no one controls them, and legal guarantees are eliminated.
• Poverty: Assets are plundered unjustly, and wealth is unevenly distributed among countries. Corruption spreads.
• Violence and War: When the right to speak for others is not recognized, the only solution to settle conflicts becomes force and violence. If these are conflicts between countries, it leads to war.

Flawed Approaches to Human Rights

Problematic Perspectives

• Judging Rights by a Person's Utility: This assumes that people who do not need support cannot help, or that they are socially unwelcome guests.
• Deciding What Constitutes a Life Worth Living: Those who believe they can decide the criteria for a life's worth are given absolute power over others.
• Individualism That Ignores the Responsibilities of Others: The exclusive pursuit of self-interest is presented as the solution to all problems.
• Transferring All Responsibility from Citizens to a Weak State: This involves detaching ourselves from our personal obligations.