SOSC 2351 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Peacebuilding, United Nations Convention Against Torture, Active Citizenship
Document Summary
Inherent to the human nature of that person regardless of place and group origin, religious beliefs of cultural background (egalitarian) Largely based on european philosophical traditions (liberal, democratic, with emphasis on individual rationality and autonomy) Laws/legalism = public declaration/legal affirmation of these rights. Udhr outlines the principles which are then formalized in international legal instruments (eg. cedaw, uncat crc) But this suggests law is independent of political and social institutions and it ignores the effect of culture (ex. Critical analysis of human rights in the origins of totalitarianism. Arendt defends a national or civil conception of right human rights (rights of man): universal, inalienable (human) Civil rights: virtue of belonging to a political community (citizen) Human rights are ineffectual/illusory because their enforcement is often in tension with national sovereign nations to enforce human rights. State governments have little incentive to respect human rights when they conflict with national interests (eg. care of refugees)
