Individual Rights: The Individual in Global Politics

By Mohamed Rizwan & Gerald Tham

Human Rights?
Does everyone deserve basic human rights?
Fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being

Ex. Freedom of Religion, Speech, Education, etc.

In the Past
Sovereign states enjoyed unlimited legal power over those living in their territory.
States treated individuals as subjects. Domestic affairs of one country is not the business of another country.

In the Past
The idea of Human Rights was not even brought about by states or even people within states (Except for a few scholars)
People only had rights if they were granted it by the sovereign state Ex. The US Constitution regarded slaves from Africa to be 3/5 of a person.

The Holocaust
January 30, 1933 to May 8, 1945.
The concept of Genocide was born the eradication of an entire people. The extermination of Europes Jewish people where 6 million Jews died.

Gypsies, Gays, Socialists and Slavs were not spared too.

The Holocaust
Adolf Hitler was born and raised in Austria.
He became active in Germanys right wing anti-democratic movement. He came to power in 1933 and it marked the beginning of anti Jewish policies. Ex. 1935 Nuremberg Law, German Jews were striped of their citizenship.

The Holocaust
Nazi Violence against Jews on the night of November 9th 1938. The Kristallnacht. 1942, Decision to gas Jews in concentration camps: Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz.

The discovery of the Holocaust death camps after the war, produced shock and horror to the International community.

The Nuremberg & Japanese Trials

They were the first of its kind as it was conducted by International Tribunals Jurists represented countries such as USA, USSR, Brittan & France 3 categories of Crime : Crime Against Peace, Crime Against Humanity & War crimes 1948, Genocide Convention

Other Genocides
Ethnic Cleanings in Yugoslavia
Rwanda Genocide Civil war in Sierra Leone Cambodias killing fields

The International Criminal Court

Ad hoc tribunals were eating into UNs budget due to the costs of facilitating these tribunals.
1998 meeting in Rome between 160 countries and 250 NGOs to establish an International Court ICC began functioning in 2002, currently is recognized by 121 countries. USA & China has opposed the ICC due to the fear that politically motivated charges could be brought to its citizens

INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW

Sources of Human Rights

Universal natural law

Magna Carta (UK)

Greek Stoicism

Roman law

Declaration of Independence (US)

Sources of Human Rights

Cultural Relativism

Human rights law

Treaties to protect civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights

Human rights law

Why do abuses of human rights occur?

Economic Political Social

Non-governmental organisations

WOMENS RIGHTS AS HUMAN RIGHTS

Gender inequality
Measures to evaluate: Gender Empowerment Measure Gender-related Development Index

Forms of violence

Reproductive independence
Autonomy and control over body Challenge from religious leaders as a form of cultural imperialism

Equal rights
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

THANK YOU!