WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

CONTEXT

• Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year.

MORE ABOUT WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

• The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a historic document which outlined the rights and freedoms everyone is entitled to.
• It was the first international agreement on the basic principles of human rights.
• It laid the foundation for the human rights protections that we have in the India today and it also influenced Fundamental rights scheme in our constitution.

SOME IMPORTANT RIGHTS IN UDHR IN SIMPLIFIED FORM

• We Are All Born Free & Equal –We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.
• Don’t Discriminate – These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.
• The Right to Life – We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.
• We’re All Equal Before the Law –The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.
• 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.
• We’re Always Innocent till Proven Guilty – Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.
• 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.

IS THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION LEGALLY BINDING?

• The Universal Declaration is not a treaty, so it does not directly create legal obligations for countries.
• However, it is an expression of the fundamental values which are shared by all members of the international community. And it has had a profound influence on the development of international human rights law. Some argue that because countries have consistently invoked the Declaration for more than sixty years, it has become binding as a part of customary international law.
• Further, the Universal Declaration has given rise to a range of other international agreements which are legally binding on the countries that ratify them. These include
  • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and
  • The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

UPSC PRELIMS 2020

Other than the Fundamental Rights, which of the following parts of the Constitution of India reflect/reflects the principles and provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)?

1. Preamble
2. Directive Principles of State Policy
3. Fundamental Duties

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 2 only
3. c) 1 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2 and 3