foundations for human rights global

Since the beginning of organized societies there have been ongoing conflicts as to the assumption, conferring and exercising of human rights versus how authority and its contingent duties are recognized within the established ideals of the society’s

During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln declared that the war would decide the issue of human rights and whether all people were created equal. He later issued the noble norm of “equality for all” which people everywhere followed. Later great names like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandel would reiterate that message while passionately serving their own people.

A wake up call sounded when the Second World War shook the whole world with its bloodshed and people witnessed the loss of thousands of precious lives and possibly the most grisly violation of human rights ever perpetrated. In 1945, after a shaky peace was realized, representatives of the founding member nations of the recently formed United Nations came together for the purpose of drafting radical laws to promote and protect the basic human rights of all persons everywhere.

In 1948, three years after its founding, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and stated publicly the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” which declared that respect for human rights and human dignity “is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” In 1950 the United Nations invited all interested organizations and all UN member States around the world to observe and celebrate December 10th of every year as World Human Rights Day.

An enumeration of some of the more prominent human rights would include the right to: health care which is often shockingly overlooked and includes clean water, food, healthcare and a clean environment; education which is specifically required in a Democracy that assures equality and liberty for all; employment which comes as the result of a socially conscious will for an equitable distribution of work and fair compensation; political which includes the responsibility to claim and participate in governmental affairs such as voting, serving on committees and the like; economic which may possibly be one of the most important areas because it involves human values, and living in poverty may have the unintended effect of losing one’s liberty to choose a life style and make a contribution to society; and finally social and cultural which are appropriately enjoyed when all the other rights are in play.

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Human Rights in Guatemala

Guatemala is a country left in pieces due to a long-lasting civil war. The Guatemalan Civil War lasted from 1960-1996. The Marxist revolutionaries fought a violent conflict for control of the country with the government in power.

Importance of Preserving Human Rights Globally

In a world ravaged by conflict decades after the formation of the League of Nations followed by the United Nations, the need to preserve human rights has never been greater globally.

Modern History and Human Rights

The idea of Human Rights as we know it today did not surface until the mid 18th century.

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