Human rights in world history

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The General Assembly of the United Nations, 10 December 1948. The inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. The dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.
Supplementary convention on the abolition of slavery, the slave trade, and institutions and practices to slavery
United Nations, 7 September 1956. Slavery, the slave trade and institutions and practices similar to slavery have not yet been eliminated in all parts of the world. The Convention of 1926, which remains operative, should now be augmented by the conclusion of a supplementary convention designed to intensify national as well as international efforts.
Human rights according to the West
By Jeremy Seabrook, Third World Network Features, 22 November 1995. The Western agenda is going to be human rights—but that only means political and civic rights, as these evolved within Western society. Excluded are economic rights (which would infringe the fundamental tenets of laissez-faire political economy), social rights, cultural rights and collective rights. (Second of a two-part article)
Human rights—image & reality
By Victor Perlo, People's Weekly World, 14 December 1996. A closer look at the historic record reveals that the U.S. ruling class has never been concerned with human rights in the conduct of its foreign policy and/or activities. And the same can be said when it comes to the human rights of American workers, African America people and other racially and nationally oppressed peoples.
A Battle Among Men Waged on the Bodies of Women
By Gustavo Capdevila, InterPress Service, 13 April 1998. U.N. Hague tribunals considered rape committed in wartime a crime against humanity for the first time in history. Past international tribunals did not include rape as a war crime.
US Votes Against Development as Basic Human Right
By Thalif Deen, InterpressService, 10 December 1998. The United States, standing alone in a General Assembly of 185 member states, has refused to reaffirm the right to development as an integral part of human rights.
A moratorium on politics: 55th UN Commission on Human Rights
Statement by Pierre Sané Amnesty International's Secretary General. News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, Geneva, 22 March 1999.
UN to Promote Housing as Basic Human Right
By Thalif Deen, InterPress Service, 18 April 2000. A decision by the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Housing Rights, the first such appointment of a UN official with a mandate to promote the right to housing.
‘Human Rights’ a Disguise for Human Wrongs
Editorial by Philip Ochieng, The Nation (Nairobi), 20 May 2001. The neo-liberal has only the narrowest understanding of human rights. To him, human rights are confined to distilled politics and law—distilled, that is, emptied of all economic, cultural and intellectual substrata.
China, Victim of Double Standard—Obasanjo
By Peter Umar-Omale and Andrew Ahiante, This Day (Lagos), 28 August 2001. Talks that focused on the need not to give in to western concepts of human rights. President Obasanjo said that the most basic human right issue for developing countries is to ensure that the population as a whole is well off.
Who is behind Human Rights Watch?
By Paul Treanor, [February 2003]. Human Rights Watch finds it self-evident, that the United States may legitimately restructure any society, where a evidence of human rights abuse is found. That is a dangerous belief for a superpower.