Human Rights Through The Ages

 Today, nearly all states in all regions of the world, at all levels of development, proclaim their com­mitment to human rights. This was not always the case. A nation’s pro­gress on human rights or lack of it has been an established subject of international relations for only about half a century. Deep in the mind and spirit of human beings lies the con­viction that every person has rights, including a right to freedom from oppression, freedom to make reason­able choices and freedom from cruelty. Historically, most societies granted rights only to the lucky few.

In all civilized nations attempts are made to define and buttress human rights. The core of the concept is the same everywhere. Traditionally all groups of humans have had notions of justice, fairness, dignity and respect. Human rights are the rights that one has simply because one is human. They are universal and equal. Human rights are also inalienable. They may be suspended, rightly or wrongly, at various places and times, but the idea of inherent rights cannot be taken away. The idea of human rights, which recognizes that, human beings are extremely vulnerable and need protection from other men and oppressive govern­ments, can be traced back to religious rules and teachings that emphasize humanitarian values. Ages ago in pre-historic times it was believed that rulers had an obligation to govern wisely and for everyone’s benefit. However, this obligation was believed to come from divine commandment or from tradition. It did not rest on a concept of personal human rights that ordinary people could call on to defend themselves against unjust rulers. Noticeably, in medieval times the idea was present in the form of moral obligation, or a duty. This progressed and evolved into ‘human rights’, rights that man was entitled to, which ensured his dignity and were enforced by the rule of law. In contemporary society, the univer­sality of the term ‘human rights’ is always being re-evaluated and modi­fied.

As understood today, the pur­pose of human rights to promote values like empathy, compassion, and goodwill, are to be found in all religions. Although the term ‘human rights’ is not used in religious texts the idea is represented as man’s moral obligations ordained by God. Every religion has the common message to impart. In the shifting of weight from medieval to modern times the concept of duty, which continued to exist, led to the emer­gence of subjective rights, rights that protected an individual from injustice in society and ensured his dignity. The internationalising of human rights has had a range of effects. International pressure, both from governments and from foreign organisations led to the government establishing global concern towards humans. The link that is made bet­ween human rights and trade, and the social clause that has been under discussion, has, on the other hand resulted in a wariness both with the state, and among a number of human rights and development activists. The threat of intervention in the arena of human rights has been a cause for hostility to international instruments which deal with human rights standards. It’s the human right to overthrow a sovereign who failed to protect their basic rights, furthering the idea that rights were not just man’s duties but also things man was entitled to.