Human rights, the rights, and freedoms to which every person is inherently entitled and which may not be taken away, have been a pillar of ethics and public policy internationally since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the inception of the United Nations on 10th December 1948. But in the 21st century, the situation with human rights develops both in terms of threats and achievements. Moving into this century, the enhancement of human rights and the management of challenges that define the world of justice and equity have been achieved.
The Threats to Human Rights
Nevertheless, human rights are recognized globally, and the twenty-first century has seen several major problems. These include systematic injustice, political repression, climate change, and emerging virtual exploitation. The first is the continued pursuit of women’s rights in the country. Many countries and territories have not yet reached the goals of improving the quality of life for women and girls, including freedom from violence, equal rights, equal education, and health care. Some countries have passed legislation that limits the opportunities that women have in politics and employment, not to mention that some cultures remain deeply rooted in traditional values that do not support female emancipation; this shows that female emancipation is still a distant dream.
Another critical human rights issue is the refugee problem due to the continuing crisis in Syria, Afghanistan, and some parts of Africa. Refugees and displaced people likewise experience extremely dreadful situations in asylum countries in terms of food, water, sanitation, physical, sexual, and other forms of abuse and exploitation. Holding Thus, many countries, especially in Europe, are torn between the horn of national security and their moral and legal obligations to offer asylum, which, in essence, they offer policies that do not protect the vulnerable.
Secondly, climate change is a threat to the existence of human rights. Global warming leads to increased sea levels, unpredictable weather conditions, and scarcity of resources that particularly make enormous impacts on Indigenous people and those living in the low economy.
Triumphs in Human Rights
The 21st century is also full of striking advances in the sphere of human rights. Social media and true-to-life actions being taken by active voices like Black Lives Matter have taken millions around the globe to protest against racism and police violence.
It has also been instrumental in the promotion of human rights, as will be discussed in this paper.
Again, the activists have been assisted by the innovation of digital tools and social media to fence human rights abuses as they happen. The hashtags #MeToo and #TimesUp have brought awareness of sexual violence across the world while technology is used to document human rights abuses to give legal frameworks evidence to pressure governments and institutions to act.
There has also been some progress on the part of international institutions. The ICC, however, though being constrained, criticized, and banned and criticized in many ways, has remained relevant in ensuring people are answerable to war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Likewise, the United Nations is not above reproach, yet it is an indispensable forum for speaking for defining human rights, and for coordinating humanitarian relief.
In all, the historical analysis of the state of human rights in the contemporary age brings out a picture of mixed fortunes as much as the later part of the twentieth century and the twenty-first century signify a new dawn. But there are successes, victories for oppressed peoples, and growing awareness of human rights and struggles at the heart of the global human rights framework. Through the help of people within and outside the governments and organizations and societies, the principles of human rights could also improve as well as inspire the world.
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Writer
Ferdous Ara Rimi
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE