6 Human Rights That Every Person Is Entitled To
Human rights are things to which every person, just by being a member of the Homo sapiens species, is entitled. They are freedoms that are guaranteed to people by natural law and international treaties.
They are universal, indivisible and interdependent. No one right can be enjoyed without the other.
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of religion is a human right and is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It includes the right to practice, teach, worship and assemble freely in connection with one’s religion or belief, without interference by government.
Many democracies also include language relating to religious freedom in their constitutions. While they may create governmental agencies to regulate houses of worship or require religious groups to register for tax purposes, governments should not be in the business of policing religious ideas. In fact, forcing religious people to moderate their beliefs or impose new cultural norms goes against the foundational principles upon which their faiths were built.
The work of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief is guided by the relevant resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Optional Protocols.
Freedom to Love
On December 10, 1948, shortly after the UN was created, representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds from around the world drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It is the most widely translated document in history.
One defining feature of human rights is that they are inalienable, meaning that they cannot be taken away by others. However, since a person’s right to freedom of movement may be forfeited temporarily or permanently if they are convicted of serious crimes, it is questionable how inalienable human rights are.
People can agree on the general idea of human rights even if they disagree about which specific rights should be included on a list or about whether universal moral rights exist. Some philosophers advocate very short lists of human rights, but such minimalism is not a defining feature of human rights. Human rights are indivisible and interdependent. Violating one right inevitably violates others. They are interrelated because they all rely on the dignity and inherent worth of every human being.
Freedom of Expression
The right to freedom of expression means you have the freedom to express your views and ideas without interference from the state. It includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
However, the freedom of expression may be restricted where necessary in a democratic society to protect the rights and liberties of others. Any restrictions must be provided for by law, pursue a legitimate aim and be proportionate to the purpose.
Journalists and bloggers who expose wrongdoing or corruption are particularly vulnerable to infringement of their right to freedom of expression. They are often jailed or even killed because of their work.
Freedom of Assembly
The right to assembly allows individuals to gather with others to support or protest a cause. Over the years, strikers, civil rights activists, anti-war demonstrators and Ku Klux Klan marchers have all gathered to voice their views in the streets of cities across the United States. These events often spark public dialogue and change attitudes towards issues or causes, according to the Brookings Institution.
Freedom of assembly is a constitutional right, included in the First Amendment, which states that Congress shall make no law “abridging the freedom of the people to assemble peaceably.” The Supreme Court has also ruled that this right includes preparatory activity leading up to the physical act of gathering.
However, in some countries, assembly rights have been violated due to excessively restrictive laws and questionable practices by law enforcement agencies. In some cases, protesters have been subjected to violence and indefinite detention. These violations deny a fundamental human right, and are often perpetrated under the guise of national security or counterterrorism measures.