The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Part I 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains an article indicating that every individual is “…born free and equal in dignity and rights” (United Nations, n.d.). In spite of the idea that the article is progressive, human rights violations are taking place in the current society. For instance, states are accused of several violations that are inclusive of sexual as well as gender-based violence, which is a provision that threatens the security of the citizens.

The other article contained in the UDHR is the provision that every person has the right to “life, liberty, and security of person” (United Nations, n.d.). The state violates this article in several ways. This article provides that no person shall be deprived of his or her life, which is a provision that is protected by law. Even though the law protects people from being deprived of their lives, killings happen everywhere. For instance, the shooting that took place in Las Vegas recently is an example of the manner in which this article is being violated in the contemporary society.

The third article indicates that no person should be tortured or punished using degrading treatment (United Nations, n.d.). This declaration is being violated in several ways. For instance, Kent Roach (2015) indicates that the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) used methods that are inclusive of interrogational torture to derive information from terror suspects. Such actions indicate that this security agency violates the UN article that discourages the use of torture or degrading treatment.

Part II 

I think that a considerable number of nations are not willing to sign the UDHR for several reasons. One of the reasons might be related to the notion that some of the nations are unwilling to embrace democracy. In a democracy, the will of the people is observed, which means that the state would be required to be accountable to the people. For this reason, dictatorships are unlikely to sign the UDHR since they will be forced to work in circumstances they find undesirable.

Part III 

I believe that there will be parts of the world that are likely to refuse to grant the rights to their citizens. This opinion stems from the idea that different states, such as the Islamic states, are not likely to embrace western democracy. Today, the situation across the Middle Eastern nations is more dangerous and chaotic than it has been previously. Given this situation, it is possible for an individual to presume that the case is not likely to change in the next 50 years, which means that such states might not sign the declaration. However, to make the rights universal, it would be essential to ensure that everyone is granted the right to life, liberty, and security.

Reference

Roach, K. (2015).  Comparative Counter-Terrorism Law . Cambridge University Press.

United Nations.  Universal Declaration of Human Rights .  Un.org . Retrieved 12 November 2017, from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/