What are human rights?
‘Human rights’ are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world.
Ideas about human rights have evolved over many centuries. But they achieved strong international support following the Holocaust and World War II. To protect future generations from a repeat of these horrors, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. For the first time, the Universal Declaration set out the fundamental rights and freedoms shared by all human beings.
These rights and freedoms – based on core principles like dignity, equality and respect – inspired a range of international and regional human rights treaties. The idea that human beings should have a set of basic rights and freedoms has deep roots in Britain. Landmark developments in Britain include:
- the Magna Carta of 1215
- the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679
- the Bill of Rights of 1689
Until recently, people in the United Kingdom had to complain to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if they felt their rights under the European Convention had been breached.
However, the Human Rights Act 1998 made these human rights part of our domestic law, and now courts here in the United Kingdom can hear human rights cases. Find out more about how human rights work.
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of gender, nationality, place of residency, sex, ethnicity, religion, colour or and other categorization. Thus, human rights are non-discriminatory, meaning that all human beings are entitled to them and cannot be excluded from them. Of course, while all human beings are entitled to human rights, not all human beings experience them equally throughout the world. Many governments and individuals ignore human rights and grossly exploit other human beings.
There are a variety of human rights, including:
- Civil rights (such as the rights to life, liberty and security),
- Political rights (like rights to the protection of the law and equality before the law),
- Economic rights (including rights to work, to own property and to receive equal pay),
- Social rights (like rights to education and consenting marriages),
- Cultural rights (including the right to freely participate in their cultural community), and
- Collective rights (like the right to self-determination).
How do human rights help you?
Human rights are based on core principles like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and autonomy. They are relevant to your day-to-day life and protect your freedom to control your own life, effectively take part in decisions made by public authorities which impact upon your rights and get fair and equal services from public authorities.
Human rights are relevant to all of us, not just those who face repression or mistreatment. They protect you including:
- your right to have and express your own opinions
- your right to an education
- your right to a private and family life
- your right not to be mistreated or wrongly punished by the state
Being safe and protected from harm
Freedom and safety are important to us all.
You should be free from harm, and also from the threat of harm – physical or psychological. This includes living in fear of strangers or neighbours. But, just as importantly, it includes living in fear of family members.
The government should not take away your freedom without good reason. Of course, there are times when a person may need to be kept in hospital against their will or imprisoned for committing a crime. But the ability to move around freely is one of the most important freedoms in our society.
If you are under threat from someone, the government has a duty to protect you.
UK law includes a range of human rights to help keep you safe from harm.
Being treated fairly and with dignity
At the heart of human rights is the belief that everybody should be treated equally and with dignity – no matter what their circumstances.
This means that nobody should be tortured or treated in and inhuman or degrading way.
It also means that nobody has the right to ‘own’ another person or to force them to work under threat of punishment.
And it means that everybody should have access to public services and the right to be treated fairly by those services. This applies to all public services, including the criminal justice system. For example, if you are arrested and charged, you should not be treated with prejudice and your trial should be fair.
UK law includes a range of human rights which protect you from poor treatment and prejudice, and which require you to have equal and fair treatment from public authorities.
Living the life you choose
You should have the freedom to live your life the way you want and to make your own decisions, within reason.
This includes the opportunity to do what you want in your private life, to meet and develop relationships with other people and to participate in essential economic, social, cultural and recreational activities of the community.
You should also be able to enjoy your property and other belongings without unnecessary interference.
Education plays an important role in helping people achieve their potential in life. Education can open new doors for people and stop them being trapped in a life of disadvantage. So it is important that everybody in Britain has access to educational opportunities.
UK law includes a range of human rights that help give you opportunities and control over your life.
Taking an active part in your community and wider society.
We all have our own experiences of life, which means that we all see life differently.
Every language, way of life and religion adds something to our culture. Similarly, the diversity of range of different thoughts and beliefs makes the UK a more interesting place to live.
Recognising the contribution of diversity to our society requires us to respect other individuals and to treat them fairly and with dignity. Without respect and good relations between groups, people are not able to take an active part in decisions that affect them and may be prevented from fulfilling their potential. A lack of respect between people from different backgrounds can also contribute to social unrest.
You should have the opportunity to express your views and beliefs freely, while respecting those of other people.
You should also be able to take an active part in the life of your community and in Britain’s political processes. It is important that your voice is heard by those making decisions that affect your life.
UK law includes a range of human rights that promote diversity and your participation in the life of the community.
Using your human rights
If you feel that your human rights may have been breached in a particular situation, this section can help you to assess the situation and your possible options – both in and out of the courts.
What can you do about it?
It may be that you will be able to resolve the problem without taking legal action: there are a range of other steps to consider first to help you resolve a problem..
If you are being discriminated against, you may also be able to use the Human Rights Act to take action, or to strengthen your case.
There is no one single way of dealing with a potential human rights violation: it depends on the context and on your particular circumstances.
Important notes
In all cases, there are time limits which mean that you may need actually to take legal action quite quickly not to lose your rights.
Time limits can be complicated but can mean you may have to actually ‘issue proceedings’ in courts in some cases within three months. We strongly recommend you consult a reputable human rights adviser or lawyer before proceeding with any legal action.