Human Rights - Research Paper Example

Article 1 of the universal human rights provides that all individuals are born free and equal while article 7 outlaws discrimination of individuals. Article 10 requires all people suspected of crimes to have access to free and fair trial while Article 16 provides for free consent to marriage and equality of the marriage partners. Accordingly, Article 17 provides that all individuals have the right to own economic property while Article 18 safeguards the right of individuals to select their own religion.

On the other hand, cultural relativism entails selective implementation of the universal rights depending on the prevailing cultural norms in the society. This paper will define human rights and discuss the articles of Universal Declaration of human rights. The paper will also discuss the universality versus cultural relativism perspectives of human rights. Human rights Introduction Human rights refers to those rights and freedoms that are inherent to all the human beings regardless of the sex, nationality, ethnic origin, language, religion or any other identifiable characteristic of an individual (Darraj, 2010).

Human rights are safeguarded by numerous national laws and international laws that include treaties and customary law. The international law requires the national governments to safeguard the human rights of its citizens from any possible violation (Darraj, 2010). One of the underlying principles of human rights is the universality principle that asserts that human rights are inherent and inalienable. According to this principle, all human beings are born with certain human dignity and rights that should not be violated such as the right to life and right to be freed from forced labour (Darraj, 2010).

The second principle of human rights is the interrelatedness and interdependence principle that asserts that all human rights contribute to a higher wellbeing of the individual. For instance, violation of the right to social welfare will also negatively on the right to life (Streich, 2008). The third governing principle of human rights is the non-discrimination and equality principle that requires that human beings should never suffer any discrimination based on their physical attributes or psychological attributes such as differences in religion, ethnicity, religion, nationality or even sexual orientation (Darraj, 2010).

Another cornerstone principle of human rights is participation and inclusion of individuals in the decisions that affect their welfare. National governments must seek the input of the citizens, civil society and minorities before making decisions that affect the welfare of the citizens (Streich, 2008). The last principle of human rights is the accountability principle that requires states to take responsibility and accountability in safeguarding the rights of the citizens. Streich (2008) asserts that national governments must create and enforce legislation that ensures all human rights are safeguarded from abuse.

The core human rights treaties include the treaty on economic, social and cultural rights, the treaty on the elimination of torture, the treaty on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the treaty on protection of the rights of child and treaty on rights of migrant workers (Darraj, 2010).