Human rights protection correlates with increased social mobility

History Of Human Rights

As social mobility became more available to people around the globe, there was a greater call for enforcing globalized human rights. As evolutions in government and politics have opened up chances for socio-economic mobility there has come a greater demand for the avocation and adherence to basic principles of human rights.

Past Societies were limited by stricter caste and class divisions, which essentially made human rights less of a concern for a ruling elite.

The Caste System in India is a prime example of how strict caste differences can stifle any calls for avocation of human rights.

The caste system deeply divides socio-economic classes and stifles any sort of social mobility (Nelson, 2009).

The Untouchables were a class that often saw gross vilations of human rights, yet this was not perceived as an issue because of the designation of their class. Therefore, violations of human rights were often overlooked.

B. During the age of Serfdom in Russia, there were also strict limitations on social mobility.

1. Serfs in Russia also had no means of advocating greater rights for themselves or had social mobility (Shah, 2000).

2. As such, many saw gross violations of what is now considered human rights, especially in regards to fair labor practices.

C. Slavery in the United States restricted African-American slaves from becoming free citizens.

1. With their restrictions on social mobility, they were denied the basic rights of American citizens.

2. Thus, they were often beaten, overworked without any pay, and worse.

II. Yet, as social mobility opens up for people in a society, there is a greater public demand for defending basic human rights.

A. Social mobility allows people from the lower classes to move up into a greater position of influence (Willetts, 2012).

1. Thus, they become more powerful in helping structure more adherence to general human rights practices in their societies.

B. The more social mobility possible, the greater the level of equality of opportunity within societies (Spagnoli, 2008)

1. This allows for people to more equal access to benefits such as education and healthcare, which helps reduce the potential for human rights violations within that society.

III. There are a number of examples of countries opening up the possibility for social mobility and at the same time increasing their dedication to protecting their citizens' basic human rights.

A. England was one of the first Western nations to established guaranteed basic human rights.

1. The United States opened up the potential for social mobility through freeing the slaves, which diminished human rights violations in the nation enormously (Russaw, 2013).

2. Many countries within the European Union provided greater equality for citizens as well as protections against human rights violations (Council of Europe, 2013).

Topic 2: Evolutions in Democracy Have Helped Increase Adherence to Human Rights

I. Thesis: As countries become more and more democratic within their styles of government, there is a greater protection provided to citizens from human rights violations.

II. As England restricted the monarch's powers and the voices of the citizens were allowed greater force in politics, there was less human rights violations.

A. Prior to the adoption of the Magna Carta, England's monarchs were widely unrestricted in their rule, which often led to enormous violations of human rights.

1. With the signing of the Magna Carta, the monarch's powers were limited basic rights were set up for all citizens, establishing a foundation for human rights in England (United for Human Rights, 2013).

B. This continued with the English Bill of Rights in 1689, which established stronger rights for citizens in regards to life and property, again increasing the protection against human rights violations.

1. Today, the Parliament better represents the needs and rights of the citizens.

III. Such trends were also seen in France during the time of the Revolution and after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.

A. Before the French Revolution, King Louis XVI abused his power and violated his citizen's human rights (Hunt, 1996).

B. Enlightenment thinkers at the time who were advocating for a more democratic government pressed for greater human rights.

1. Jean Jacques Rousseau advocated the idea of the Social Contract, where if the rights of men were violated by the government, they should be allowed to terminate the contract which bound them to the ways of that government (Hunt, 1996).