The origin of Human Rights is a topic that has triggered lots of scholarly debates in the entire world. The universal freedom that is presently enjoyed by many people dates back to many years in history. Reference to the book by Ishay (2008) indicates that there are many forces that have contributed to the development of human rights. Although many may argue that human rights are derived from the western world and may not have significance to other parts of the globe, it is the contention of the present essay that human rights play a universal role in the protection of dignity. Against this backdrop, the present essay sets out to investigate the factors that contribute to the development of human rights. The present research argues that globalization, socialist movements, enlightenment, and universalism have played pivotal roles in the growth of human rights.
The relationship between globalization and the development of human rights is an aspect that cannot be ignored in contemporary times. According to Dreher, Gassebner, and Siemers (2012), globalization has provided a framework of dealing with poverty and economic inequality in the entire globe. Many people who were initially discriminated one on economic grounds are presently enjoying their rights because of the postulates of globalization that require every individual empowered. This is the argument echoed by Kim and Sikkink (2010) who opines that globalization has introduced social democracy which is the best political tool to address the needs of individuals. The findings of Kim and Sikkink (2010) are in agreement with those of Ishay (2008) who observes that the history of globalization is directly linked to the emancipation of the economically discriminated in the society. This, therefore, means that poverty levels are drastically reducing because of the provisions of globalization. Ultimately, social, political, civil and economic right s of individuals will continue to gain more attention because of globalization. This shows how globalization is responsible for the promotion of human rights.
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Another factor that has played a significant role in the development of human rights is the socialist movement. Reference to the research of Israel (2013) indicates that socialist movements have continued to liberate people in the entire world by opposing fascism. This argument echoes the opinion of Ishay (2008) who notes that devoted attention should be paid to the role played by socialist movements in the development of human rights. Of great interest to the present essay is the idea that socialist movements continue to monitor nations characterized by dictatorial regimes. Ultimately, socialists campaign for the freedom and independence of citizens oppressed by their dictatorial governments. According to Ishay (2011), people should appreciate the fact that before the United Nations Organizations adopted the human rights, socialists had played significant roles in the development of universal freedoms.
The principles of socialist movements have been applied in many parts of the world to shape human rights with varying degrees of success. As Israel (2013) rightly observes, socialists the freedom and equality that border on speech, religion, assembly, and press are benefits of human rights that are directly derived from socialist movements. It is therefore evident that human freedoms trace their development from socialist movements. In the present times, socialist movements continue to foster human rights through liberation ideas such as feminism and cultural freedom which are used to carve a peculiar identity for the oppressed people in society. Evidently, as women continue to enjoy inclusion in nation building, researchers agree that this step would not have been possible if socialist movements had not been formed. Cushioning this point, Ishay (2011) observes that the role played by the socialist movement in shaping human rights is almost forgotten.
The universalism of human rights is a concept that gathers momentum daily. In fact, contemporary scholars argue that cultural relativism is an insignificant idea in the discourses on human rights. Supporters of universalism agree that all human beings possess certain inalienable rights by virtue of being born on earth. According to Jones (2018) universalism has prevailed upon the cultural relativism hence overruling on the issue of applicability of human rights on the entire globe. In particular, universalism stipulates that everyone should enjoy freedoms such as physical protection, speech, religion, assembly and association among others. Scholars have extensively immersed themselves in studies on human rights and concluded that universality of rights utilizes three theories to justify the importance of freedoms. For instance, the natural law theory is an important aspect of the human rights debate because it provides moral grounds to prosecute those who violate the law. As Jones (2018) observes, many people in the present times benefit from the classical developments that have paved the way for the existence of the law that guides human rights. Therefore, it is evident that human rights are directly revived from universalism.
Rationalism as a theory equally plays an important role in the development of human rights. This theory stipulates that all individuals are endowed with the capacity to think and make rational decisions that encourage harmonious relationships in the community. The bottom-line of rationalism is that human beings do not have to make decisions based on their diverse cultural backgrounds. This is the opinion echoed by Ishay (2011) who observes that developments in universal theories have reinforced the liberation of many individuals in the entire world. Closely related to rationalism is the concept of positivism. In the book by Ishay (2008), it comes out that international law is used as a tool for rectifying the defects in the characters of human beings. Researchers agree that the contemporary application of universal law to human rights is one of the greatest shreds of evidence of universalism. It is therefore apparent that universalism has immensely shaped the development of human rights.
Enlightenment is perhaps the greatest tool that has been used to transform lives through human rights. In a research exploring the development of literacy levels, Ishay (2008) argues that people continue to enjoy the fundamental freedoms because of increased literacy levels that allow individuals to interact with comparative literature in the entire world. Learning about how other people address their human right issues is a powerful way to liberate oneself in particular contexts. In the opinion of Christie (2010), enlightenment continues to sensitize people on their rights in society. This means that individuals are given the power to subject everything top thorough thought especially if it opposes their rights. The philosophical aspect that accompanies enlightenment is the ability to reason. Scholars agree that the development of human rights has been possible because individuals exploit their mental faculties to reason about important issues about their lives. As a result, many people have been thoroughly prepared to combat the issues affecting their personal freedom.
In conclusion, this essay has investigated the development of human rights. Although some people argue that human rights are western concepts that do not apply to everyone in the world, the research has established that human rights are universal freedoms that affect the well-being of every individual. The essay, therefore, concludes that the development of human rights has been achieved through certain factors such as enlightenment, universalism, socialist movements, and globalization. Devoted attention should, therefore, be directed to studies exploring how many other factors continue to shape human rights so that people can enjoy their freedoms globally.
References
Christie, P. (2010). The complexity of human rights in global times: The case of the right to education in South Africa. International Journal of Educational Development , 30 (1), 3- 11.
Dreher, A., Gassebner, M., & Siemers, L. H. (2012). Globalization, economic freedom, and human rights. Journal of Conflict Resolution , 56 (3), 516-546.
H. Liu, L. (2014). Shadows of universalism: The untold story of human rights around 1948. Critical Inquiry , 40 (4), 385-417.
Ishay, M. (2008). The history of human rights: From ancient times to the globalization era . University of California Press.
Ishay, M. (2011). The socialist contributions to human rights: An overlooked legacy. The International Journal of Human Rights , 9(2), 225-245.
Israel, J. (2013). Democratic Enlightenment: philosophy, revolution, and human rights 1750- 1790 . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Jones, P. (2018). International human rights: philosophical or political?. In National rights, international obligations (pp. 183-204). Boston, MA: Routledge.
Kim, H., & Sikkink, K. (2010). Explaining the deterrence effect of human rights prosecutions for transitional countries. International Studies Quarterly , 54 (4), 939-963.
