Human Rights

I recently watched a film that has made more of an impact on my thought than just about any other film I have seen before. "12 Years a Slave" is the true and very revealing story of Solomoman Northup, a man who in 1840s America, was kidnapped as a free African American man, and was forced into slavery in the southern states of America where slavery was socially accepted and was a way for the southerners to create their massive plantations that amounted to considerable wealth.

For me, watching this film was a significant reminder for me of the importance of Human Rights, which is something that the United Nations emphasizes as an important aspect of community and society. On the UNANZ website, Human Rights are described as,

"rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible."

Human Rights became official on 10 September, 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. It was written up as a document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration has 30 articles or statements about human rights and freedoms. For a broad overview of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, click here.

Other Key Human Rights Treaties are:

- 1965 International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination - 1966 International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights - 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights - 1979 Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women - 1984 Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment - 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child