English dictionary
Etymology
From human right + -s.
Pronunciation
(RP) IPA: /ˌhjuːmən ˈɹaɪtz/
(GA) IPA: /ˌhjumən ˈɹaɪtz/
Noun
(international law) The set of basic rights and freedoms that all humans should be guaranteed, including the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.
If we use the above definition to understand human rights, we can attest that no country in the world is fully compliant with them.
We long for justice, fair and equal treatment from the government and society. However, we are not fair to certain groups of people. Subconsciously, we take their unjust treatment by us as the reality. The right reality. We see smaller groups as being inferior to us. Meanwhile we claim to be fighting injustice.
LGBTQ+ Rights
In every part of the world, there are still homophobic attitudes towards homosexuality. This means that there are people who ask same-sex couples, ‘Who is the man and who is the woman?’ There are people who aren’t comfortable with the prospect of two people of the same gender loving and having sexual relationships. Regardless of how developed or advanced a country is, homophobes exist and they are open about it.
Rich and Poor
In most parts of the world, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening at an alarming rate. This means that while some indulge in excess and throw food away in the bins, there are others starving, their stomachs aching with hunger and their futures uncertain. Their lives hang in the balance.
Women
Most women, from the dawn of history, have played second fiddle, being unpaid domestic labourers and treated like second class citizens. In Simone de Beauvoir’s words, ‘A Second Sex’. When we write books that deal with humanity, we often use the pronoun ‘men’ as a generic term to represent all people. We frequently adopt a male perspective, centering narratives around the experiences of men. The male gender is the default template.
A Long Way to Go
We may believe that we are getting there, but in the right sense, we are not half way through the journey. We have a long way to go in achieving human rights. Not just for ourselves but for everyone around us.