Reflection on Human Rights

This semester what has changed the most about my attitudes concerning human rights is primarily my knowledge on the subject. Prior to taking this class I had a general idea what human rights entailed, but I never realized how broad the topic, the extent of its reach, and how it truly is a pertinent topic. I had no idea how the fight for human rights originated, nor did I know that it was still applicable today.

The Holocaust has been a topic that I have studied multiple times in school and at home, but it never occurred to me that this was the foundation for the global acknowledgment of human rights. It seems pretty strange that such an important topic was legitimized in the century that I was born in. What we consider today to be violations of human rights, were things that were habitually denied for so long. It seems incredible that they went basically without legal ramifications.

Maybe what is even more shocking is that events of mass genocide still exist today. Living in the United States, or other developed countries, I think really makes people take their human rights for granted. I never realized how fortunate I was to be able to protest a government policy I did not agree with, or write a letter to an editor to express my opinion on a matter. Never in my life has my safety been jeopardized as a result of speaking my mind. I live in a country in which people are encouraged to express themselves and speak out against things they do not approve.

It was not until taking this class that I realized what a luxury this right is. I never knew that many people around the world were have been denied such rights. Not only are they denied these rights, but they face serious repercussions for attempting to speak out or “stepping out of line” from what their corrupt government demands of them.

Human Rights non-government organizations do very courageous things, by stepping up and fighting for what they believe are inherent rights of humans. This class has made me much more aware of what they fight for around the world on a daily basis and I think that as a result, I am much more inspired to help.