Why Human Rights Matter, Why Many Governments Think They Don't

Human rights matter because they set a precedent to the way that citizens of a specified country deserve to live, in a humane and just matter. Human rights set a clear line of what is right and wrong, given the circumstances from which it delineates. They set a standard to which people carry out their every day lives. Without the fundamentalism of human rights underlying within a society, it gives citizens free reign to do whatever they choose, without set guidelines (such as a relationship of a child and their parents). I use this example of a child and their parents because I feel, for the most part, that that is how the government should protect its citizens. The state should look out for it people's safety, basic needs, and give them the education and power to become rightful citizens of their nation, and at the same time, give its people the power to make their own decisions and accept the consequences for their wrongful actions. It is important to have the most basic of structure into society, and the most basic of protection for its citizens.
I think one of the reasons that many governments think human rights doesn't matter is because of the traditionalist and religious backgrounds of society. For example, in the Muslim tradition, it is stated in the Q'uran that men rule society, and women are created for men. This obviously stems the large gap of women's rights in Muslim based societies (mostly focused in the Middle East) In Middle Eastern societies of the world, their states are run on the basis of religion. In religious based traditions, governments may also see little to no need for their country to progress, if the basis of their society follows the rules of their religion. In these societies it is also very obvious that religious rights (of a religion other than the primary) are little to none. Another reason that many governments may not have (or may not follow through on) the fundamentals of human rights may be that they simply lack the resources, or tools, to follow through and keep up with the more elaborate key points of human rights. Some second and third world countries may be in the middle of the turmoil of war. Other countries are so poor that getting food and shelter for its citizens is a troubling challenge, never mind the rights of women, homosexuals, or religious groups. We, as people living in a wealthy and liberal country, can not expect other countries to be on the same level of progression with the more intricate and time consuming issues dealing with human rights.