More Than The Right To Remain Silent (human rights)

     Here recently I have been thinking about our human rights, so I asked a few of my friends if, A., they knew how many human rights we had, and B., if they could name any. The answers were about the same across the board. No one knew, or could guess how many human rights there was, and they could pop off anywhere from 5 to 10 of them. Not bad, right? Wrong! These are your rights, you should atleast know all the ones that apply to yourself. So, I want to enlighten you on your human rights, and what they mean to you.

     First, let's talk about what a right is. A right is a freedom of some kind. It is something to which you are entitled. There is a difference in rights and permits. We are permitted to carry concealed weapons. We get a permit, and we can carry them around concealed. We have the right to keep weapons to protect ourselves, and our homes. It is very important to know the difference between what you are permitted to do and what you have the right to do.

     The Human Rights are defined as: The basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.


     So Jessica, what does that mean? Glad you asked :) Equality before the law. That's a pretty powerful statement. What that means, is that the law can not take away these rights. That doesn't mean they won't ever try (many examples I could list, but I'm sure you could too). If you don't know your rights, and someone trys to take them away from you, or convince you that you don't have them, what do you think will happen?

     Long before human rights even existed, men and women fought and died for these freedoms. They still do! All over the world people are fighting for basic human rights. Now, doesn't it seem insulting that people that do have them, don't even know them, or care to learn them? DAMN RIGHT! When I was in school, I never once was told about them. I knew about the constitution and the bill of rights, but never heard about human rights until I was an adult. That's just pathetic...and sad.

     After World War II, the leading nations realized they had to create a document to include all human rights. That document, boys and girls, is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It contains the thirty (yep 30 big ones) rights to which all people are entitled. This document was created in 1948 (not that old at all really, the declaration of independence was 1776).

     Ok, a few more details, then I'll sock em to ya. Eleanor Roosevelt led the committee that created this document. The United Nations created international laws to protect human rights (a process that took close to 20 years!). As a result of this, basic laws of many nations today include the rights contained in this declaration.

     And without further ado, here is the big list.
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The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

1. We are all born free and equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.

2. Don't discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.

3. The right to life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

5 No torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or torture us.

6. You have rights no matter where you go. You are a person just like anyone else!

7. We're all equal before the law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.

8. Your human rights are protected by the law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.

9. No unfair detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country.

10. The right to trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do.

11. We're always innocent till proven guilty. Nobody should be blamed for something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing, we have the right to show it is not true.

12. The right to privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters or bother us or our family without a good reason.

13 Freedom to move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish.

14. The right to seek a safe place to live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.

15. Right to a nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.

16 Marriage and family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if the want to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.

(side note, this does not say only men and women get married, just that we all have the same rights whether we are married or not. I believe making same sex marriage illegal is a violation of this right.)

17. The right to your own things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason.

18. Freedom of thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want.

19. Freedom of expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.

20. The right to public assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don't want to.

21. The right to democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.

22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare, engoh money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.

23. Workers' rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union.

24. The right to play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.

25. Food and shelter for all. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.

26. The right to education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get along with others. Our parents can choose what we learn when we are young.

27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one's own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.

28. A free and fair world. There must be a proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world.

29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms.

30. No one can take away your human rights. 

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     After reading these, you might think one of two things (or more). One, some of them are very basic, almost common sense. But without laws to protect them, who's to help you when you've been stripped of them? And Two, lots of these rights are being violated all over the place, even at home. Yep, that is true. When people are uneducated about the rights they are entitled to, thats when they lose something they didn't even know they had. To get it back becomes a struggle, when we could have just been taught about them and had them to begin with.

     Promote human rights. There are actions you can take. You can visit www.youthforhumanrights.org and find out how our youth is learning about these rights. You can start a human rights group online or in person. And most importantly, you can teach others about human rights. Knowledge is contagious, it spreads and grows and evolves. Shouldn't the knowledge and ideas you spread be positive and powerful? One person can make a difference, even if its a small one. And I'll take a small difference for the good over nothing any day.