The concept of human rights has become a unifying factor among our contemporaries and a “quasi-world religion” (Reed, 2007), with a proliferation of human rights documents and instruments. They have become the ultimate criterion for judging actions and interventions of individuals, governments and organizations. And yet, there is a wide disagreement, even among scholars on this noble concept. Do human rights really exist or they are a hoax? How are they different from other ideals? Which ones are they and what justifies them? Are they universal to all people or particular to a given context? Are they ontologically founded or are social constructs? Who qualifies as a subject of rights? Are there collective rights or only individual rights? Are they legal or moral rights? Who are those bound to respect, fulfill, safeguard and promote them?
This part defines the important human rights concepts and terms as well as their nature, content and characteristics. The moral, legal and social political dimensions of human rights are also examined.
- Teacher: Dr. Albert Luswata