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Law and Human Rights
Is law the solution to human rights problems, or are there better alternatives?
The laws of a nation are designed to protect the rights of the citizens of that nation. They are in place so that a person knows empirically what they are and are not permitted to do. The problem with many nations of the world is that the rights of the citizens are not being protected. There are the individual rights inherent to the culture in question and then there are the more basic human rights which should be available to all people no matter their country, social standing, ethnicity, gender, or any other category which would serve to in any way differentiate one population from another. However, does the creation of laws necessarily indicate that the rights of the citizens are in fact being protected, or are there more efficient and effective ways of accomplishing this?
In the article "Political Institutions and Human Rights," James Vreeland (2008) states that nations that practice crimes that violate human rights, such as nations that commit acts of torture are more likely to accept the rules and restrictions of groups like the United Nations than countries that don't support torture (page 65). The reason for this seems to be that the...
The United Nations and other international peace-keeping groups can formulate laws and dictums and order other countries to enforce their policies. However, these groups are essentially powerless to ensure that these regulations are enforced. Practitioners of inhuman actions are likely to accept the rules of these policing groups without intending to actually prevent or prohibit their inhuman behaviors. Essentially, dictatorial or tyrannical countries pay lip service to the international group, ensuring that they can continue to violate human rights, more or less with impunity. This explanation is only theoretical. The Convention Against Torture requires nations to sign documentation where they pledge to abandon inhuman torture practices. Just because a country signs the agreement does not mean that they have any desire or intention to follow through with the stipulations of that agreement.
Linda Keith (1999) seems to agree with Vreeland's position in her article "The United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." As of her writing, the United Nations had been a functioning international entity for half a century. What she was able to determine was that the…
Works Cited:
Keith, Linda C. (1999). "The United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights: Does it Make a Difference in Human Rights Behavior?." Journal of Peace Research. Sage. 36:1. 95-118. Retrieved from J-Stor.
Vreeland, James R. (2008). "Political Institutions and Human Rights: Why Dictatorships Enter
into the United Nations Convention Against Torture." International Organization. IO. 62. 65-101.
Human Rights and Child Prostitution in Haiti The Republic of Haiti is a Caribbean country occupying smaller portion of Hispaniola Island. It shares the island with Dominican which is equally another Caribbean country with population of just over 600, 000. In 2011, the population of the Republic of Haiti hit 9 million-mark with chances of a tremendous growth projected in the subsequent years. With the capital located at Port-au-Prince, the country's
Education is sorely lacking in my country, and this degree would be a major step forward in my quest to change this situation. I cannot pretend that all of my motives are purely altruistic; I am, of course, attracted to the financial security that this degree and subsequent degrees would help me attain. In addition, I have a family of my own that requires both my financial and moral support.
As a result, many citizens continue suffering by losing business opportunities due to insecurity. They develop ineffective policies, implement them, and when they fail, blame it on local authorities. Therefore, the crime rate continues to go higher and the government remains quiet about offering long-term solutions to such problems (Griffin 110-111). Solutions Long-term solutions or strategies are essential in helping an individual deal with their fears because they will have a
Human Rights Crisis in the Meatpacking Industry Meatpacking Industry Safety Standards Meatpacking workers have historically been exposed to some of the most dangerous work conditions, resulting in one of the highest injury rates of any occupation in the United States. Between the years 1980 and 1985 the injury rate was three-fold higher for meatpacking plant workers than for all other manufacturing industries (Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], 1988) and in 2000
As it pertains to sweatshops, indications that the company was operating sweatshops came first in 1998. During this time sweatshops were found in Asia and the company was only paying workers 80 cents per day. Nike's behavior in both these instances created a backlash that is still present. Prior to the findings of human rights violations, Nike had a good reputation as an employer. However, after the presence of human
In other words, the power and the wealth could easily fall in the hand of the few privileged ones, and their rights would be better served, than those of the marginalized, powerless and poor population (Paribatra, 1999). 6. Conclusions and Recommendations The section on the analysis of the issues at hand commenced stating that the purpose of the briefing paper was a simple one: identifying the positive or negative nature of