Violations of human rights
You are able to define human rights and present their generations.
You are able to explain what legal acts confirm human rights, and describe the institutions that upholduphold their observance.
You are able to characterize the universal human rights protection system.
You will be able to explain the reasons for violations of human rights.
You will be able to indicate categories of violations and list those particularlyparticularly drastic ones.
You will be able to describe the activities of the international community undertaken to eliminate some types of violations.
We already know that every man is entitled to his freedoms and rights. They are inalienable and inviolable, they result from the principle of respect for human dignity and its protection. The catalogue of rights and freedoms has been confirmed in various national and international documents. Respect for human rights is the foundation of justice, peace and security in the world. The entityentity that has a special responsibility for respecting human rights is the state. In practice, however, all states, even the most democratic ones, violate human rights. Of course, the scale of violations of rights and freedoms in democratic countries is much smaller than in undemocratic ones. In addition, in democratic countries, citizens may demand the execution of their rights in the event of violation of rights and freedoms. They are equipped withequipped with appropriate instruments that help them reduce violations or obtain compensationcompensation for the harm they have suffered. In a totalitarian state, a citizen is deprived ofdeprived of such mechanisms of pursuing claims.
Examples of executive instruments in case of human rights violations:
efficient functioning of the judicial system and maintaining all elements of a fair trial,
efficient police operation,
the possibility of submitting complaints to the Ombudsman,
the possibility of making complaints to international institutions.
The most common causes of human rights infringements are, among others, discrimination, xenophobia, armed conflicts. Choose one of the causes and describe briefly, what effects and consequences it brings. Compare your answer with the suggestions of other students.
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There is a variety of manifestations of violations of fundamental rights and freedoms. The most dangerous are human rights violations on a large scale (so‑called mass violations of human rights) - genocide or ethnic cleansingethnic cleansing, persecutionpersecution of minorities (national, ethnic, racial), sending political opponents to labor camps.
Examples of types of violations of human rights:
genocide,
ethnic cleansing,
persecution of minorities,
extrajudicialextrajudicial executions,
adjudicationadjudication and execution of the death penalty,
„disappearances” of people,
limiting the freedoms of speech, association, assembly,
detention without charge or initiation of legal proceedings,
unreliableunreliable court proceedings,
various manifestations of discrimination,
the use of torture or other forms of degrading treatment or punishment.
We must remember that any, even individual, violation of a single right or freedom is inconsistent withinconsistent with the principle of respect for human dignity and should be stigmatized.
Despite the efforts and numerous mechanisms monitoring the observance of human rights in many parts of the world, human rights violations still occur on a large scale. China, Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Belarus - these are just a few examples from a large group of countries violating fundamental rights and freedoms. According to the organizations monitoring the observance of human rights in the world, totalitarian and authoritarian states commit much more violations of rights and freedoms. Among the reasons for violations of human rights, one can also mention armed conflicts, as well as racist and xenophobic attitudesattitudes. The most dangerous are human rights violations on a large scale in the form of genocide or ethnic cleansing, persecution of minorities (national, ethnic, racial), sending political opponents to labor camps and human traffickinghuman trafficking.
Consider the reasons why human rights are violated. Choose one of the problems below or come up with your own suggestion and analyze it using a metaplan method.
Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise. Match the pairs: English and Polish words.
prześladowanie, przestrzegać, utrzymywać, pozasądowy, zasądzanie, nierzetelny, czystka etniczna, odszkodowanie, pozbawiony
to uphold | |
compensation | |
deprived of | |
ethnic cleansing | |
persecution | |
extrajudicial | |
adjudication | |
unreliable |
Keywords
human rights violations, Ombudsman, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, genocide, ethnic cleansing
Glossary
przestrzegać, utrzymywać
szczególnie
byt, podmiot
wyposażony
odszkodowanie
pozbawiony
czystka etniczna
prześladowanie
pozasądowy
zasądzanie
nierzetelny
niezgodny z
postawa
handel ludźmi