In all civilized nations, attempts are made to define and buttress human rights. The core of the concept is the same everywhere: Human rights are the rights that one has simply because one is human. They are universal and equal. Human rights are also inalienable. They may be suspended, rightly or wrongly, at various places and times, but the idea of inherent rights cannot be taken away. One can no more lose these rights than one can stop being a human being.
From a theory espoused by a British philosopher, the belief in human rights has spread across the globe.
Developments such as the Cold War and the Helsinki Process spurred international efforts to strengthen human rights.
An overview of the development of human rights in the United States and its role in supporting them overseas.
International incentives and investigative bodies prod countries to improve their human rights record.
NGOs have strengths in pressing countries on human rights concerns.
The idea of human rights has a moral force and mobilizing power that is hard to resist in today’s world.
The conviction that each and every person has rights seems to reside deep in the mind and spirit of human beings - in those who lived centuries ago, and in those who today live in places as far apart as China, Mexico, and South Africa.
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