International human rights law is an area of legal study that seeks to ensure the human rights of individuals are respected and protected around the world. The term “human rights” is used broadly to describe any legal guarantee of rights potentially enjoyed by individuals regardless of nationality, race, or religion. International human rights law is also referred to as universal human rights law. The primary aim of this law is to ensure the equal right of every individual to enjoy life without any violation of his or her rights.
There have been many attempts over the years to create a universally acceptable set of rules regarding the treatment of people in different countries. In its basic form, human rights law seeks to protect all individuals from unfair discrimination based on gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Several intergovernmental treaties have been agreed upon to establish standards that could serve as guidelines for enforcing the universal principles of human rights. These intergovernmental treaties include the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN).
One example of a universally accepted standard is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, commonly called the Declaration. This document states that all individuals have the right to freedom of opinion and expression; to seek employment without discrimination; to be free to peacefully protest, petition, or petition for change; to have their property protected; and to have the government to ensure their rights and freedoms. Another example of an internationally accepted standard is the European Communities’ Declaration of European Principles on Human Rights and freedom of opinion and expression. This declaration calls upon all member states to provide protection against incitement to discrimination, torture, violence, rejection of religious intolerance, and other manifestations of intolerance.
Several human rights treaties focus on protecting children from armed conflict. One of these conventions is the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that every child in armed conflict must be able to protect himself from violence. Other important human rights laws include the Minimum Standards of Protection set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Labor Organization’s Convention on the Elimination of Compulsive Traffic Victims, and the European convention on Preventingacts relating to mines, booby traps, and other war crimes. The Vienna Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War and the European Protocol on the Means of Conducting Armed Forces in the International War on terror are human rights treaties that are frequently included in trials held for war criminals.
A number of human rights treaties were drawn up by local governments rather than by international institutions. Many of these regional human rights treaties contain information on what governments should do if they are not meeting their human rights standards on an individual basis. For instance, the African Human Rights Association recommends that African countries to ratify the African Human Rights Convention, and that regional human rights associations provide additional information on the status of individual governments. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court requires member states of the United Nations to cooperate actively with each other to ensure that justice is delivered to individuals who have been accused of committing acts of torture and other serious crimes. These statutes are considered part of the international human rights obligations of each state parties.
Other human rights laws concern the protection of the environment. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for International Human Rights believes that all members of the United Nations must agree to work together to ensure that the environment does not suffer at the hands of human rights abusers. According to the U.N. Conference on Trade, “a good human rights practice is the regulation or limitation of excessive use of force and other forms of violence affecting the rights of individuals.” The Universal Declaration of Human Rights likewise states that “Everyone has the right to pursue his own happiness through peaceful means according to his own choice” and that no one should be subjected to torture.
The primary objective of the universal declaration of human rights and its signatory states is to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, or any other such basis that might result in denying a person his or her equal rights. It further states that every member state should respect freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. In addition, it requires member states to provide full information to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and to provide information to the Organization for International Criminal Justice after the initiation of an inquiry or investigation concerning an individual. Every member state should provide assistance to victims of human rights abuses. In many cases, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights requires member states to set up independent commissions to investigate crimes against humanity and to bring to trial those responsible for these violations of human rights. States that do not comply with these requirements may be removed from the United Nations organization and may be assessed by the International Criminal Court.
There are two different types of human rights law that govern different aspects of a person’s life. There is a national human rights law that exists in almost every country and is based on the equal right of everyone within that country to live, worship, and work without discrimination. There is also a universal individual human rights law that applies to all people regardless of race, nationality, or religion and that protects them from violence and other abuses whether committed in their country or anywhere else in the world.