Why human rights matter, why many governments think they don't

Human rights matter because they affect the happiness and fulfillment of citizens across the world. It should be the right of a people of a state to have their interests and needs protected by the government under which they live, a right without which can lead to detrimental turmoil both between citizens and their peers, and citizens and their state.

Despite this "should be" idealism, there are yet many nations which do not view human rights with the importance they deserve. Whether out of fear or contempt, there are yet many governments which try to keep citizens under tight control through restriction of human rights. For example, the women's rights are still very minimal in many countries around the world, due to cultural ties of women and domesticity. Another example is the issue of homosexual rights. It would seem in many places, that homosexuals are suffering from a natural-born preference which puts them at a great disadvantage with the majority of the world's governments. In fact, in many countries, simply identifying as a homosexual can mean imprisonment or death. Although they may be a small minority of people in a country, their rights are as important as other's rights. But why is it seen as not important by many governments that minority groups get their rights? Perhaps out of fear. Many governments have feared, in the past, that restricting the rights of a minority group is the only way to keep said group under control. The rights of blacks in 19th century america is an example of this. Governments with great ties to religion, or in very traditional areas, often see no need for progress, and so they see no need to expand human rights across certain minorities. However, for the continued happiness of it's citizens, it would be prudent for governments to open up more rights to minorites, in the interest of a more uniformly happy country and citizens.