Human Rights

Human Rights:

Human Rights are the necessity that all people should have access to e.g. food, shelter, water, education, no abuse and fair pay.

What are human rights?

Human Rights are the rights and freedoms that we all have

-          Some human rights are based on our physical needs (the right to life, food, shelter)

-          Other human rights protect us (the right to be free from torture, abuse and cruel treatment)

-          Human rights are also there to ensure we develop to our fullest potential (the right to education, work and to participate in your community)

Everyone has human rights and should be given equal treatment regardless of who you are, where you come from, what language you speak or your religion. We all have a duty to respect each other’s rights and to be respected for your rights. Nobody can take your rights away.

Why do human rights matter to me?

Human rights matter to us all.

In the UK:

-          One child in three is poor

-          One child in four is physically abused

-          One child in seven does not have a home.

It is vital that all young people know their rights.

Where do rights come from?

Human rights are based on the values of:

Dignity- respect and pride in yourself

Justice- fairness/legal system

Respect- valuing others and their values, rights and perspective

Equality- equal treatment/ justice

Human rights were officially recognised as values by the world when the United Nations was set up.

What is the United Nations?

-          The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation that was established in 1945, the year WWII ended.

-          Its founders (mainly Russia, England, U.S. and France) hoped it would be able to prevent catastrophes like the Holocaust from happening in the future.

-          So promoting human rights became an aim of the UN, along with maintaining international peace and reducing poverty.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the most famous human rights agreement in the world. It contains 30 human rights.

Who wrote the UDHR?

The people who wrote the UDHR came from: Australia, Chile, China, France, Lebanon and the former Soviet Union, UK and the US.

The Human Rights

Groups:

-          Economic Rights :”(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.” Article 17

-          Social Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Article 1

-          Religious Rights: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. “ Article 18

-          Cultural Rights: “(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. “ Article 27

8 Millennium Goals

1.       When were they formed

-          They were formed in September 2000 at the United Nations Headquarters.

2.       Why were they formed

-          They were formed to secure the basic human rights for every person in the world, and to promote equality and slash poverty and disparity across all countries; this will help prevent the poverty cycle, save millions of lives and build a better world for everyone to live in.

3.       List them and one target

Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty

-          Halve, between 1990-2015, the number of people whose income is less than $1 a day

Achieve universal primary education

-          Ensure that by 2015, males and females everywhere will be able to complete a full course of primary school.

Promote gender equality and empower women

-          Eliminate gender inequality in primary and secondary schooling by 2015.

Reduce child mortality

-          Recue by two thirds, between 1990-2015, the child mortality rate, of children under five

Improve maternal health

-          Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990-2015, the maternal mortality percentage

Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases

-          Halted AIDS by 2015, and begun to reverse the spread of it

Ensure environmental sustainability

-          Reverse the loss of environmental resources and incorporate principles of sustainable development in every nation

Develop a global partnership for development

-          Deal with the debt problems of developing countries

Poverty – The Life of Dave Documentary

What issue does Dave discover?

-          Homelessness (what he discovers)

-          It may be hard to break homelessness because: too many homeless people, people who give them money are afraid they will not spend it wisely, people do not care, people addicted to drugs may not have the determination or intelligence to get out of the situation.

How do people become homeless?

-          Many homeless people have drug or alcohol problems (which they call ‘self medication) which are a high cost financially, and make them poor or homeless.

-          Mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar etc are also a common factor of poverty/homelessness

-          Many spend the money they do acquire on drugs

-          Many middle class people lose their jobs (because of the recession), lose their homes and may become homeless (poverty cycle)

-          Gambling may also be a cause

-          Domestic violence may force women flee from home in a rush. Since many women give up their careers, they suffer when not supported.

What are their lives like?

-          Homeless people are referred to (and refer to themselves) as ‘rough sleepers’ (no bed)

-          They may be hopeless, trapped, desperate

-          They may be bashed, assaulted through violence (if they steal a sleeping spot)

-          Many have no place to sleep, and those who have drug or alcohol problems are not offered beds by organisations, gravitate to places open 24 hours each day e.g. train stations.

-          Some even ride trains to have some where to sleep

-          Sleeping conditions are uncomfortable

-          Even those who do have a regular place to sleep on the streets, have to move every few months and may be forcibly removed by the government.

-          Some resort to busking

-          A lot of homeless people smoke to quench hunger.

Who is helping these people?

-          Mission Beat (provide soup kitchens, blankets)

-          Salvation Army

How does Dave’s experience ‘shed light’ or raise awareness to the issue?

-          Dave raises awareness by showing people the real back-story of why poverty occurs and what is actually is, defies stereotypes and provides insightful comments; he makes people care about this issue in our city

-          Have a firsthand view of what is happening

-          Allows us to see the perspective of a homeless person- scared, drug problems, hungry, lonely etc.    

-          Evokes sympathy in the audience

Poverty Cycle

The cycle of poverty has been described as a phenomenon where poor families become trapped in poverty for generations.

Because they have no or limited access to critical resources, such as:

·         Education

·         Financial services

Subsequent generations are also impoverished/misfortunate.

There are multiple cycles of poverty- based on, among other things,

·         Economic

·         Social

·         Spiritual, and

·         Geographical factors

Many cycles overlap or perpetuate new cycles therefore any attempt to depict the cycle of poverty will be far more simplistic than realistic.

The figure below shows- in very simplistic terms- how a cycle of poverty related to hunger keeps a persona or household poor in one of the world’s developing countries.

Absolute Poverty vs. Relative Poverty

What is Poverty?

It is having no power, no control of your life and you live life as if it is your last. A country may not be able to support itself economically and so can lead to war or civil unrest. Poverty is often experienced by certain people of society e.g. certain social groups.

Absolute Poverty

Absolute poverty measures the number of people living below a certain income threshold or the number of households unable to afford certain basic goods and services.

Relative Poverty:

Relative poverty measures the extent to which a household’s financial resources falls below an average income threshold for the economy. Although living standards and real incomes have grown because of higher employment and sustained economic growth over recent years, the gains in income and wealth have been unevenly distributed across the population.

Factors that influence poverty:

• Child poverty
• Environmental factors
• Gender Equality
• Homelessness
• Lack of Food
• Maternal Health/Diseases

Social Justice- "Catholic Themes" (Part 2)

Rights and Responsibilities:

-          Human dignity and a healthy community can only be achieved if human rights are protected and responsibilities are assigned and met. Everyone has a right to life and a right to objects required for human decency ex. Food, shelter, employment, health care, education. Contributing to the availability of these rights is everyone’s responsibility.

Role of Government:

-          The state has a positive moral function; the government is a representative of a community’s opinion and helps promote human dignity, protect human rights and build common good. People have a right and responsibility to participate in political institutions.

Questions:

1.       Every human’s fundamental right is to have a life, and a right to objects required for human decency.

2.       The role of the government in maintaining human rights is to promote human dignity, protect rights and build common good.

3.       We (the community) are responsible for assisting the government in achieving its goals.

Economic Justice:

-          The economy serves people. All workers have a right to work, have decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a right to organise unions, economic initiative, and private property.  However, it is not right to amass excessive wealth when other lacks the basic necessities of life.

Stewardship of God’s Creation:

-          The goods of earth were created by God, and they were intended to be valued by everyone. We have a responsibility to care for goods as stewards not mere consumers. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship, a sign of our respect for God.

Questions:

1.       The rights of the worker are to have a decent wage, work in a safe environment, organise unions, own private property and have economic independence.

2.       A union is the act of joining together- a community or alliance.

3.       People’s economic limitations should be not to amass wealth when others are in need and lack bare essentials.

4.       God’s gift are intended for us (everyone)

5.       A social mortgage is the conditions in which humanity uses the goods and services created by God.

A steward is someone who values the gifts God has provided us.

A trustee is an organisation or person which manages possessions and goods of another for their benefit.

6.       One measure of our stewardship is how we treat the environment.

Promotion of Peace and Disarmament:

-          Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-orientated concept. In Catholicism, there is a close relationship between peace and justice. Peace is dependent upon right order among humans.

Participation:

-          Everyone has a right to be involved in the economic, political and cultural life of society. It is a demand of justice and of human dignity that all people are assured participation in the community. It is wrong for an individual or group to be excluded from this.

Global Solidarity and Development:

-          We are all one family. Our responsibility is to accept one another regardless of national, racial, economic and ideological differences. We are called to work for justice; real development must be human development. It must respect personal, social, economic and political rights and must avoid extremes of underdevelopment and super development.

Questions:

1.       Catholic teaching shows us that the requirement to maintaining peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among humans.

2.       It is wrong to exclude people from participating in society because it is breaching their rights, and we must respect others’ opinions.

3.       Our global responsibilities are to accept one another regardless of differences and to work for justice.