What I Have Learned About Human Rights

At the beginning of this semester, I thought that I had a good sense of human rights in general along with the organizations associated with protecting human rights. I had taken several courses with parts of the curriculum including discussion of human rights violations around the world and how we can help and be involved. I was also involved in Model United Nations for a number of years. Through that I believed that I had a good sense of how the United Nations worked along with the communication between states.

Through this course, I felt that I was able to enhance my knowledge even further of the meaning of human rights as well as the support and abuses of human rights around the world. I believe this course has really taught me how to critically think and process how human rights are interconnected throughout series of terms, events, actions (genocide, protests, lobbying, etc.). What I didn’t learn in Model United Nations was the implementation of the resolutions pasted and the regulation of these conventions and resolutions. Human rights though within the UN perspective is still very complicated and conventions and treaties made into law must be understandable (literature wise) to all nations even if they don’t sign and/or ratify it. I really learned that problems with human rights still can arise even though a nation has signed a ratified a certain treaty.

When my classmates did their presentations on the non-governmental organizations, I was impressed to find out that there were many different organizations started from the United States. I was also impressed by how they helped support human rights throughout the whole world without funds (most of them at least) from any governments. What I have learned from this is that when there is a human rights violation anywhere around the world there will always be someone or some organization that fights to stop it and to fight for the rights of those in jeopardy. All the NGOs that were presented were organizations that are fighting for a human right in many different ways. Many fundraise through awareness, lobbying to their government, and verbal and physically (protests) support the situation and rebuilding the lives of those whose human rights were violated.

What I have learned through this course more generally is that human rights violations seem to be a never-ending cycle. Even though we have seen the catastrophes through time what the violation of human rights has caused, the same events always seem to reappear in some way. Someone will always be unhappy with what is happening around them and will in some way cause dissonance within their own nation or with another nation. What I have learned about human rights is that sometimes there really is no clear boundary between what is really needed in human rights (between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights). I learned that the support for human rights is really complicated because everyone and every state has its own opinions on what is more important when it comes to human rights. Sometimes a state may think that it needs to focus on the economic factor of the nation rather than the right to press or free speech. Others may think that this is inconceivable to have a nation run by a dictator or a monarchy.

Finally I think one of the main things I really learned from the course about human rights is that I take many of my rights for granted. When our class had to walk around part of the city to see what kind of human rights there were, I was actually surprised to realize that there were many of them that I just took for granted. Little things like sending mail, going to the doctor’s office, water fountains, sewer systems, etc., are things that I have in my everyday life. Because I live in a developed nation with so many different opportunities, sometimes it hard to just appreciate what you have rather than complain about what you don’t have (the newest computer, phone, ipod, car, clothes). What I have learned about human rights is that we take things for granted and in abundance when other people need them to survive. We use these resources without the thought that there is scarcity in the world for some as simple as fresh water, shelter or clothing. These few things along with a few others are basic human rights and underdeveloped nations need these human rights.