Response Paper Two: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The main purpose of the thirty articles from “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, created on December 10, 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly, is to promote a deep respect to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of each individual, belonging to whatever “race, color, sex, language, religion…” (UDHR, Article 2) or any other status, and create a universal guaranty that it will enhance the recognition of these human rights and freedoms; it represented “the hope for a new future” (More, n.

d. ).This statement in all is very comforting to the society, but how fully, if at all, is this declaration being accomplished and enforced? Human rights are about human dignity and the fact that no one can take this dignity away or humiliate another human being. The declaration is based on the idea that people possess human “rights to life, liberty, security of person” (UDHR, Article 3), and according to the declaration’s preamble, the recognition of personal dignity and the inalienable rights to be treated equally is the necessary foundation to maintain the freedom and justice of the world.This is, however, opposing to the unethical behaviors displayed from the same member states of the United Nations, which due to their political differences, lead to destructive events between their societies like wars or terrorist attacks. A good example of this could be the confrontation between the counties of USA and Iraq, which led to the horrific attacks of the New York twin towers on September 11, 2011.

Moreover, it gives humans “the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law” (UDHR, Article 6) and other rights because they are human beings in the first place, and not just citizens of a particular country.I think that this is the basis of the universality of the declaration, because it was written for each and every human being in the world. In continuation, in articles four and five, the declaration also proclaims the prohibition of slavery and servitude, and goes against torture and cruelty. It might be that slavery only lasted from the 1500s to 1900s, nonetheless, we still experience the modern-day form of slavery, for instance Human Trafficking; whereby approximately 161 of the 196 countries in the world are affected (Danielle, 2010).And what about article nine, which states that “arbitrary arrest, detention or exile” should not be subjected to anyone; yet we witness the prejudiced actions of the officers in various states of the USA against immigrants and how they are discriminated against and arrested with no formal authority just because of their appearances; where their right to “privacy, family, home, or correspondence …” (UDHR, Article 12) is being violated.

Furthermore, we are living in a modern, global society, where there are a variety of inter-relations among approximately all countries in the world; we have “the right to freedom of movement and residence” (UDHR, Article 13), yet many people are held back especially when residing in dictatorship countries like Cuba, where the right to “seek asylum from persecution …” (UDHR, Article 14), “freedom of opinion and expression …” (UDHR, Article 19) are being exempted and ignored.In my opinion, neglecting these rights and freedoms goes against the true nature of humanism, and most of the times leads to tragic acts because it fills humanity’s conscience and pride with offense. In conclusion, the thirty articles of the declaration overall aim to create a world in which people will have freedom of speech and opinion, will be free from fear and promote an active aspiration for a better world. It is one of the most important declarations adopted after the World War II, and recalls the importance of the morality in the modern world.

However, how can our societies live a secure life, if the same states that were part of the drafting of this declaration are not abiding by the laws that they themselves designed? It is obvious that all these rights are not enforced and preserved at all times, nevertheless, the declaration of human rights was the document that drew a boundary between what is ethically human and what is not. I believe that each human being is a subject of high priority for each country, and the declaration itself is a standard of justice and a kind of implementation of the law system into the everyday life of common people.