Chapter 14 Human Rights and Dignity PS 130

Chapter 14: Human Rights and Dignity PS 130 World Politics Michael R. Baysdell Saginaw Valley State University

The Nature of Human Rights • Proscriptive Rights/Negative Rights – Freedom from specific abuses, restrictions, or discrimination – Things that the government cannot do to groups, such as discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, or other inherent demographic characteristics • Prescriptive Rights/Positive Rights – Basic necessities that a society and its government are arguably prescribed (obligated) to try diligently to assure; certain qualitative standards of life for everyone in the community – Life, Liberty, Property in the United States for sure – Include adequate education, nutrition, housing, sanitation, health care? – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs more expansive – Galtung: don’t forget well-being needs (sleep, sex, other biological wants) or identity needs (self-expression, establish and maintain emotional bonds with others, 2 preserve cultural heritage) – Galtung a bit questionable—Washington, DC annihilation

The Nature of Human Rights: Universal vs. Culturally Based Rights Universalists • Human rights are derived from sources external to society, God-given. • Belief in a single prevailing set of standards that are immutable • Sources include theological or ideological doctrine • Slavery was ALWAYS wrong 3 Relativists • Positivist approach claiming that rights are a product of a society’s contemporary values • Belief that no single standard of human rights exists • Rights are not timeless; they reflect changes in social norms • Slavery OK in past, not now

Applying Universalism and Relativism • EX: Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Non-Western position (cultural relativism) criticizes the UDHR for promoting values, such as individualism and democracy, that are not a part of other cultures. Sees UDHR as cultural imperialism – Disputes among countries of similar heritage and even within countries • Death penalty issues • Abortion 4

Human Rights: Problems and Progress • Many countries are still highly oppressive, especially towards women or minorities • Abuse in Iraq by U. S. forces shows even EDCs not immune • Freedom House ratings the “gold standard” 5

Freedom House Ratings • • • 1 -14, 1= free 14= oppressive (Political Rights, Civil Liberties) 2= US, Canada, Britain, France (two 1 s) 3=Japan 4=Mexico (Chiapas) 5=India 9=Nigeria (Ken Saro-Wiwa) 10=Russia (Chechnya) 11=Jordan 13=China (Uighers) 14=Cuba

Progress Made on Human Rights – Globalization has increased concern for and application of principles of human rights – United Nations has created OHCHR, UNCHR, ECOSOC – UDHR: not binding treaty, but creates norms – Important work done by NGOs – The Global Program Against Trafficking of Human Beings (GPAT) – Treaties: Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel , Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – Domestic courts

Barriers to Progress on Human Rights • • State claims to sovereignty Varying cultural standards Political selectivity Concern for human rights a low priority for most countries 8

Women’s Rights • Women are an economic-political-social minority • Women are the largest of all minority groups • Women's issues becoming more prominent – Compared with men, there are disparities in jobs, professional status, literacy, poverty rates • Abuses sanctioned by law or ignored (de facto slavery, prostitution, genital mutilation) – Religious justifications in some Muslim societies (cultural relativism) 9

Women: Political, Economic, and Social Discrimination • Politically, women make up only about 16% of national legislatures • Economically, women constitute approximately 70% of all those living below the poverty line in their respective countries • Socially, women are less likely to be literate or to go on to secondary education 10

Women, Armed Conflict, and Abuse • Women experience war much differently and sometimes more violently than do men • Women’s bodies are often a battleground • Women and children make up a substantial majority of refugees 11

Women, Society, and Abuse • • • Prevalence of domestic violence in most societies Sex-selective abortions and the neglect of infant girls Female genital mutilation (FGM) Sex slaves and trafficking; abuse of domestic servants Pervasive economic, social, and political discrimination 12

Women’s Rights: Progress • High priority at UN • International Decade for Women 1975– 1985 • UN Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) • Fourth World Conference on Women (WCW), Beijing 1995, Beijing+5 meeting in 2000 in New York • International Criminal Court charter: pledges to stop crimes against humanity and includes a number of women's issues 13

Children’s Rights • No political or economic power • Suffer from a range of abuses (inadequate nutrition and schooling, sexual exploitation) • 8. 4 million children involved in “unconditional worst forms of child labor” – Includes internationally trafficked children, forced and bonded labor, armed conflict, prostitution and pornography, and illicit activities, such as drug sales – Other child labor more relative (older children, sweatshops, working alongside parents) 14

Children’s Rights: Progress International efforts have only recently begun United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children • Nationalism and parochialism impede international efforts • • 15

Rights of Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Groups • Oppression is pervasive – Examples: South Africa, Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, Darfur – Ethnic and racial identification are the key components of the tensions and conflict that make nationalism one of, in not the most, divisive elements of human politics • “We-they complex” • Racism, anti-Semitism 16

Group Rights: Progress • Case of South Africa—elimination of apartheid • Series of international conferences – World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance (WCAR), 2001 • Specific international agreements – International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination – Rights are also included in major human rights documents 17

The Rights of Indigenous Peoples • Problems – The world’s 370 million indigenous people live in socioeconomic circumstances that are below those of the nonnative population of their country (for example, Mayas in Mexico) • Progress – 1993, International Year of the Indigenous Peoples – 1995– 2004, International Decade of the Indigenous Peoples – UN Economic and Social Council established the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) 18

Refugee and Migrant Workers’ Rights • Problems – Driven from home by war, famine economic deprivation, or other disaster – 8. 4 million refugees in 2006 according to UNHCR – Prejudice and anti-immigration sentiment • Progress – Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) • Least widely ratified UN human rights treaty – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – International Organization for Migration (IOM) 19

Prescriptive Human Rights • Often less recognized or enumerated in the legal structure of countries or in international law • Involves preserving and enhancing human dignity by protecting and improving the physical condition of humans – Right to adequate nutrition – Right to a reasonable standard of health – Right to a basic education 20

Adequate Nutrition • Thomas Malthus – World’s population will eventually outpace the world’s agricultural carrying capacity • Two basic food problems – Short-term food supply – Long-term adequacy of food supply • Crop yields (green revolution) 21

Causes of the Food Problem • Population growth • Maldistribution • Inadequate nutritional content • Political strife 22

International Response to the Food Problem • Emergency food aid – UN's World Food Programme (WFP) • Specific nutritional needs • Agricultural development – Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) • World food conferences – 1974 World Food Conference – 1996 World Food Summit 23

Adequate Health Standards • Issues of inadequate medical care in LDCs and LLDCs – High rates of infant mortality and disease among children • World Health Organization (WHO) • Successes of WHO (smallpox) – Problems and new threats: TB, Plague, SARs, West Nile, avian and swine flu • The speed of global spread of disease— accelerated by globalization 24

HIV/AIDS: Greatest Current Threat to Global Health • Number of children and adults living with AIDS worldwide: 40 million (2005) • Number of children and adults dying from AIDS worldwide: 3 million (2005) • Number of people infected with HIV continues to grow each year. U. S. -fastest growing group: people OVER 50! • ½ of Zambia’s copper miners HIV-positive • Global spending on AIDS approaches $8. 5 million • Joint UN Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) $320 million budget 25 to slow new HIV infections

Basic Education • • Primarily a national responsibility UNESCO programs Gender gap in education Children receiving only a few years of primary school in developing countries 26

In the end, how do you feel about rights? Think about the box: Is a Global Bill of Rights possible? Is it even desirable? 27

Chapter Objectives: Checklist After reading this chapter, students should be able to: • 1. Discuss the basic idea of proscriptive and prescriptive human rights. • 2. Analyze the claims of universalists and relativists and discuss the concepts of individualism and communitarianism. • 3. Understand the problems and progress of proscriptive human rights. • 4. Discuss the problems and progress of women’s rights. • 5. Discuss the problems and progress of children’s rights. • 6. Discuss the problems and progress of group rights. • 7. Discuss the problems and progress of the rights of indigenous peoples. • 8. Discuss the problems and progress of the rights of refugees and migrant workers. • 9. Examine adequate nutrition as a prescriptive right. • 10. Examine adequate health standards as a prescriptive right. • 11. Examine basic education as a prescriptive right. 28