Human rights for all

Description:

Human rights are moral principles or norms (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, 2013) that describe certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected as natural and legal rights in municipal and international law. They are commonly understood as inalienable (United Nations, 2014), fundamental rights “to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being” and which are “inherent in all human beings” (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2014)) regardless of their age, ethnic origin, location, language, religion, ethnicity, or any other status (United Nations, 2014). They are applicable everywhere and at every time in the sense of being universal (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, 2013; wikipedia.org).

Although human rights are egalitarian in the sense of being the same for everyone, the perception of these rights among the public differs, mainly when these rights should be granted to migrants. It could be perceived that migrants and refugees should have a limited extension of these rights. Such perceptions are misleading and could be risky for democracy. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid such simplifying perceptions when teaching about migration.

Source: varianty.cz

Discussion:

The Vignette is not about a specific place, it’s about the realization that what concerns me here and now applies equally to other people in the world, especially those in need.

Geographical thinking and social feeling are linked here. If something directly affects us, we have experience with it, we become more aware of the causes and consequences. This source is about realizing what my basic human rights are and then about understanding better that it’s not just about me. All the people in the world have these rights. So why are they sometimes denied the rights just because of having a different colour of their skin, religion, or a different culture? Isn’t there something wrong?

First, all selected basic human rights to the should be assigned to the “I” card. Yes, I own them all. But what if the “I” card is exchanged for the “Refugee” card? Do they have all the rights, too? Were they to blame for the situation they were in? Away from their home, their family, their security. Do they have different rights than I do just because they are a refugee? How much of a role does geographical determinism play here? And can I imagine myself in their place?

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