Harold Laski, one of the prominent political thinkers of the 20th century said “Rights are in fact those condition of social life without which no man can seek in general, be himself at his best” Human rights can also be defined as “Those conditions of life and freedoms which should be available to all persons, irrespective of their religion race, cast, sex ,nationality or any of them. “ Todd Gitlin in his essay states “Human Rights; the literal words deserve a moments scrutiny. Whatever persons are called or call themselves wherever they live they are humans. Therefore human rights; benefits to which people are entitled simply by virtue of being human”.

Human rights are universal and interdependent. Human rights are what make us humans. When we speak about the right to live develop, or to descend diversity, we are speaking of tolerance. Tolerance will ensure all freedoms. Without it we can be certain of none.

They are forcing them from their homes, turning the streets into killing fields. This civil war seems unstoppable because of the intolerance of one race against another, no respect of human rights. Another example is right in our own backyard. I am speaking of crime which plague society they are no different today centuries ago. One race against another. We can only live together by tolering differences in each of us.

Human right is used extensively for political gain. It is used to defend human freedom and destroy it. People tend to attach importance to some issues according to their ideology and convenience. If a man is not to have rebellion against tyranny, taking law into their own hand, human rights should be built as a natural rule. As last resort law should be used for protection.

Just after world war, citizens of many countries lived under the tyrants, having no recourse to relieve the in humane treatment given to them. They became rebellious and catalytic to fight for justice to prevent wide scale war i.e. nuclear war majority of government came to conclusion that basic human rights must be protected. This was for the sake of individuals in countries and human race.

The United Nations proclaimed “The universal declaration of human Rights on December 10, 1948.” It called member nation to implement these rights. This was a momentous achievement as for the first time human rights were codified and steps were taken for their preservation. Rights such as political, economic, cultural rights are some examples.

Political rights are important features of government. Everyone has right to take part in government but democracy does’nt mean the right to vote. It includes much more. It postulates multiplicity of parties and a politically aware electorate which can make an intelligent choice. People must subject of politics and not the object. There must be debate and discussion regarding to policies not only parliament and legislation but also amongst the people. Responsibility of people in a democracy doesn’t end by participating in periodic elections. They’ve to actively participate through influencing decisions of their representative. They’ve to create public opinion and to exert pressure on government to take right decisions so that it becomes absolutely essential to complete transparency in actions. People should’ve right to information without which they can’t participate in process of government .

The ‘will of the people’ shall be the authority of the government. This will shall be expressed through periodic elections based on Universal and equal suffrage. The elections shall be held by a secret vote. In a country like Australia the people select their government while in Saudi Arabia the hereditary kings are the heads of the state. Under political rights everyone has the right to nationality. Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum and persecution from others. Countries like England have every liberal asylum policy. People from Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran who were persecuted in their countries have found a safe home in many western countries.

Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be deprived of his property under except due course of the law. Every citizen has the right to social security. Social security is a system by which the government pays money regularly to people who have no other income or only a small income. In India many schemes such as Swarn Jayanti Rozgar Yojna, Jawahar Rozgar Yojna and Integrated Rural Development Program are prevalent. In America the unemployed people receive financial support from the unemployment office. People should have the right to a standard of living for the health and well-being of himself and his family. This includes proper food, proper clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services. They should have the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable hours of work and paid holidays.

The social rights endow the individuals the basic freedoms of the society. The family is the natural and the fundamental unit of society. It is entitled to full protection by society and the state. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. Men and women of the full age have the right to marry and raise a family. Marriage shall be entered into with full consent of the intending persons. In a democratic country like France or Sri Lanka, these rights are available to the citizens whereas in Afghanistan which was under a strict rule of the Taliban, the women were treated as cattle and had no say in marriage. They had to marry according to whims of their elders. Education at least in the elementary level should be free. It is very important that citizens be educated. It is only then that they will be able to participate in the democratic process and fight when their rights are denied.

The cultural rights guarantee the people the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary and artistic production of which he is the author. They have the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community. In other words, every one has the right to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancements and its benefits.

It is the University of human rights that gives them their strength. It endows them with the power to cross any border, climb any wall, defy any force. The struggle for universal human rights has always and everywhere been the struggle against all forms of tyranny and injustice against colonialism, against slavery and apartheid. It is nothing less and nothing different today. Our great country was founded on the basic idea that all man is created equal with liberty and justice for all. We must remember, with rights come responsibilities to respect and preserve the right of all I would like to leave you with this story to ponder. In Germany, they came for communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up. If we expect our rights to be respected and protected we must speak up to preserve human rights for humanity. We must become watchdogs of our government that ensure that human beings will be respected and protected, for without human rights there is no organized government.