Human Rights do not warrant an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ approach

by Vasilis Giavris- Lawyer & Political Scientist

The term human rights is relatively new having emerged into usage subsequent to the end of the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations. Prior to this the term had not been systematically used although the concept of human rights is very old - its early formulations arguably found in Ancient Greece and in particular in the writings of Plato, Aristotle and Stoics such as Zeno who developed and championed the idea of ‘natural law’. Influenced by these early writings documents such as the Magna Carta in 1215, the English Bill of Rights in 1689, the French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789, and the US Constitution and Bill of Rights in 1791 have continuously asserted individual rights and are considered by most as the written predecessors to many of today’s human rights writings. 

The horrific events that transpired during the Second World War which resulted in the extermination of millions of people by Nazi Germany led to a renewed interest in the creation of global standards for the protection of individuals from governmental abuse and of mechanisms to hold governments accountable for the infliction of such abuse. The calls for such global standards of respect of basic human rights culminated in the adoption in 1948 by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which became the “foundation document” for subsequent human rights covenants and conventions.

Its preamble famously states that “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world”.

The importance of the UDHR cannot be underestimated since it served as a basis for the adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which predominantly deals with issues such as the right to life, freedom of speech, religion, and voting and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) which amongst other advances the right to non-discrimination, the right to work, right to education and the right to adequate standard of living.

In conjunction with subsequent treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted in 1979 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989 the Covenants and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have substantially changed the way human rights have been perceived and dealt with by governments all over the world.

Nonetheless, despite these changes flagrant disregard to democratic processes and individual human rights continues to take place both in the developing and the developed world under the pseudo-guise of cultural relativism and nationalism. Moreover, the treatment of asylum seekers all over the world has been appalling and devoid of basic human decency.

It is imperative that we understand that human rights are not a cultural war an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ approach but rather despite there inherent inadequacies represent a generic attempt to promote and maintain human dignity as a common entitlement applicable to all humans, irrespective of social status, gender, religion or country of origin.

As Hellenic citizens of the world it is our duty to promote social progress, prosperity, equality and a universal standard of human rights.

As Hellenic citizens of the world it is our duty to uphold and promote human rights, natural law and fundamental freedoms and recognize that these are common entitlements that should be afforded to all humans irrespective of social status, gender, political beliefs, and religion or ethnic origins.

As Hellenic citizens of the world it is our duty to recognize that the right to dignity, the right to work, the right to education and the right to an adequate standard of living are human rights that must be afforded to every human both within the confines of the Hellenic State and internationally.