Human Rights Law : What are your rights, and where do they come from?

Human Rights Law: What are your rights, and where do they come from?

By: Otiede Oreva Oluwaseun

On October 10, 2020, thousands of Nigerian youths gathered outside the Lekki Toll Gate to protest the injustices being perpetrated against them by the government agency responsible for combating crime and fraud, also known as SARS. This showed how young people were demanding a right to life, dignity, and freedom from police brutality, to which, if they weren’t aware of the rights that they hold, such an empowering movement might not have occurred in the first place.

We all know of our human rights, or do we? There is some sort of knowledge towards the fact that certain things regarding us as well as our society, other people, and the government, must not be violated, like the right to life, for example, or the right to own property. There is also the awareness that such rights should not be infringed on, but how so? How did this come to be, and what is the sole importance of it?

The purpose of this paper is to establish the definition of human rights, where they come from, and the importance of knowing such rights in the world we live in.

Definition of Human Rights

Human rights are the universal, fundamental, and inalienable rights and freedoms granted to all individuals irrespective of their status, race, religion, or creed. These rights do include the right to life, liberty, education, association, and so on, which have been guaranteed by international law, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is to ensure people are treated with equal respect without being unjustly treated by their governments, as well as others.

A Brief History of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

“Do unto others as you would have them do to you” can be observed as the ‘golden rule’ that explains the origins of human rights. All prehistoric societies, whether oral or written in tradition, have operated under this code of conduct and had systems that solidified the rights of individuals in respective regions. In medieval times, however, documents like the Magna Carta (1215) came into the limelight. Followed by the English Bill of Rights (1689), the French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen (1798), and the US Constitution and Bill of Rights (1791). These are all written provisions that make up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we have today; however, there were sometimes, if not all, mutually exclusive to women and people of color.

After the collapse of the League of Nations (1919), the inception of World War Two (1939), and its end (1945), governments around the world committed themselves to establishing a United Nations front, whose primary objective is creating international peace and preventing conflict. This simply meant that any problem arising in a member state was viewed as an international issue rather than a problem of national interest. On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, otherwise known as the Magna Carta, was adopted by 56 member states of the United Nations.

This was to ensure that, after the massive loss of lives in the global war, never again would any individual be unjustly denied life, freedom, food, shelter, and nationality.

Key examples of basic human rights

Some of them I must have highlighted above, but these rights are secluded in Articles under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they include;

• The right to life — All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

• The right to fair hearing — Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal.

• The right to privacy — No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home, or correspondence.

These rights, along with many others, such as the right to health, equality, freedom, and non-discrimination, are the bedrock of forming a just and fair society

Why Knowing Your Rights Matters

To know your rights is to defend them. People who do not know their rights in the world are more likely to be taken advantage of, oppressed, and silenced by their government or the people around them.

For youths, knowing their rights allows them to have a voice—to speak out against injustice and to know that they have every right to do so. For example, youths like Greta Thunberg, who is using her voice to garner action on climate change, and the youths of my country, who have spoken out against injustice.

Women, too, must be aware of their rights. Given the patriarchal society we live in, women often face abuse or maltreatment by their male counterparts. Women, especially in oppressed and third-world countries, need to know their rights to fight against gender discrimination, claim the right to education, and resist gender-based violence.

Finally, regarding ethnic minorities, knowing their rights helps them fight against segregation and racial exclusion, ensuring they have protection and do not face unnecessary risks.