Media Analysis: Human Rights and Advocacy (HDS310)

This assignment analyzes various media pieces relevant to human rights and advocacy, focusing on their content and connection to relevant UN treaties and conventions. The student examined articles on environmental rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Brazil's abortion laws. The analysis includes summaries of each media piece, along with links to the original sources. The first article discusses the UN's move towards recognizing the right to a healthy environment, highlighting the increasing number of environmental defenders murdered globally and the efforts of Latin American nations to protect environmental rights. The second article focuses on the UN convention on disability rights, and the Irish government's steps towards ratifying it, recognizing the rights of persons with disabilities. The final article discusses Human Rights Watch's advocacy against the illegalization of abortion in Brazil, referencing the organization's amicus brief and the estimated number of unsafe abortions occurring annually. The assignment underscores the role of media in raising awareness about human rights issues and the importance of advocacy efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations. The student provides a comprehensive analysis of each media piece, linking them to the course content and UN treaties to demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject matter.

Running Head: MEDIA PIECES RELEVANT TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY
Media Pieces Relevant to Human Rights and Advocacy
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MEDIA PIECES RELEVANT TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY
The development of human rights
Human Rights can be defined as the fundamental liberties, protections and freedom each and
every person is entitled to. The different media pieces for advocating the rights are- press, social
media, webcast, newspaper, placards, and others. The time has come that the United Nations
recognize and declare the right to live in a healthy environment free of beatings, murders, and
disregard of the environment protectors. Formal acknowledgement and respect would better
protect those people who risk their lives to save the green earth. The number of murder of the
environmental defenders increased to 197 in 2017 which was 147 in 2012 recorded by
monitoring group Global Witness. Concerning this alarming hike 24 Caribbean, Latin American
nations allied into a treaty on environmental rights and once it is approved, the government of all
nations will be instructed to punish, enact laws on those alleged of murder, and it will observe
those suspects too who try to escape the punishment with the excuse of impunity. The article
says that states should acknowledge respect, protect, the rights in order to build a healthy, just
and sustainable environment.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The UN convention obeys the tradition of the civil law, along with a preamble there are 49
articles. In 2006, United Nations General Assembly adopted the treaty drafted to protect the
rights of physically disabled persons. The preamble states that ‘all human rights are universal,
indivisible, interdependent and interrelated’.The Dáil told that Ireland’s approval of the United

2MEDIA PIECES RELEVANT TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY
Nations Convention on physically disabled people’ rights will sanction a revaluation of the
society of disabled people. The Minister of State, Finian McGrath displayed greater concern
towards the disables and assured the Dáil who debated on the ratification (The Irish Times,
2018). The procedure of ratifying the rights of the persons with disability will start from the year
ahead. The framework had been signed in the year 2007 but it will be issued again by the State
government. Although Mr McGrath ensured that pact would be approved “within six months” in
2016, some legal obstacles were faced before the state gave consent for its official enactment.
Advocacy and Human Rights
There are many advocates of human rights in either in the form of a governmental or non-
governmental bodies. The Human Rights Watch is one of the most active Western-oriented
human rights organizations operating against abuse and injustice worldwide. Brazil’s abortion
laws are unsuited with the human rights laws (Twitter.com, 2018). The Human Rights Watch
declared on 31st July 2018, publishing a video regarding the problem. Human Rights Watch will
voice at a hearing on August 3 and 6, 2018, against the act of illegalization by aborting in Brazil
in the initial 12 weeks of pregnancy (Human Rights Watch, 2018). The court will be requested
by The Human Rights Watch to consider and control Brazil’s obligations under the international
law of human rights. The World Health Organization approximates that almost 25 million unsafe
abortions occur every year. Human Rights Watch analyses Brazil’s obligations under the laws by
submitting an amicus brief.

3MEDIA PIECES RELEVANT TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY
References:
The Guardian (2018). UN moves towards recognising human right to a healthy environment.
[online] Available at: http://UN moves towards recognising human right to a healthy
environment [Accessed 31 Jul. 2018].
The Irish Times (2018). Government to begin ratifying UN convention on disability rights.
[online] Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/government-to-begin-
ratifying-un-convention-on-disability-rights-1.3418273 [Accessed 31 Jul. 2018].
Human Rights Watch. (2018). Brazil: Decriminalize Abortion. [online] Available at:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/07/31/brazil-decriminalize-abortion [Accessed 31 Jul. 2018].
Twitter.com. (2018). Twitter. [online] Available at:
https://twitter.com/hrw/status/1024159147908984832 [Accessed 31 Jul. 2018].