Are Human Rights Enough? A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Conflicts

This essay delves into the significance of human rights within the context of contemporary conflicts, examining the ongoing violations and challenges to these fundamental rights. It references the UN's 1948 declaration and analyzes the impact of human rights on individuals across the globe, discussing the importance of these rights regardless of factors like gender, religion, or origin. The essay highlights numerous instances of human rights abuses, including displacement, violence, and discrimination across various countries. It emphasizes the need for ethical choices and the importance of considering human rights in decision-making to achieve meaningful protection and prevent further violations, urging a shift towards prioritizing human rights in all aspects of life to ensure their effective enforcement and safeguard the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration.

Running head: ARE HUMAN RIGHTS ENOUGH?
ARE HUMAN RIGHTS ENOUGH?
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1ARE HUMAN RIGHTS ENOUGH?
Drawing attention to the human rights that have been declared by the united nation in the
year 1948, there are several aspects that can be noted in the contemporary era (Beard 2017). The
declaration was made to declare 30 fundamental rights for every individual. The perspective
through which human rights are seen in the contemporary era raises the question on this same
aspect. The paper aims to discuss the significance of human rights in regard to contemporary
conflicts.
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that every person possess in the world
from birth until death (Hathaway 2017). They are the rights that can be applied regardless of
one’s gender, religion, caste and related. The application of human rights is on every person
despite the factor of where one person is from or how one chooses to spend its life. These are the
basic rights and it cannot be taken away. It has been more than 50 years from the inception of the
human rights however, it has become a great deal in the recent days. Despite the UN and
regional systems investing a large sum of resources in order to protect and promote human
rights, there is disregarded in many countries.
It has become increasingly common to find a news report of grave human rights abuse. It
is not specifically meant for one country but for many countries across the world. Human rights
give the rights that a human needs in order to survive peacefully. However, violation of human
rights is only increasing every day. Displacement in Syria, rapes and amputation in the Congo,
killing and looting in Iraq, repressions of dissent and ill-treatment of workers in China,
disappearances and beheading in Mexico, racism and xenophobia in Europe and subjugation of
women and oppression are the examples of human rights violation. These incidents across the
world manifest that way human rights are not acutely considered by people and the authorities
(Waldron 2017).

2ARE HUMAN RIGHTS ENOUGH?
It is important to understand the reason for these violations of basic rights. As the basic
rights of humans are under the risk of endangered, the responsible bodies need to take actions.
There is the need for the authorities to make changes and amendments in the human rights
principles that would make people realize the value of human rights.
The violation mentioned above are only the highlighted and prominent violation however
there are various other violations that occur across the world. Humans need to make ethical
choices in order to protect own as well as other’s human rights. It is until humans rights are
elevated to serious consideration for all decision making, the rights enshrined in the universal
declaration will remain the unattained goal. The achievement of appropriate human rights
protection will be attained only when people consider ethics before making decisions.

3ARE HUMAN RIGHTS ENOUGH?
References:
Beard, C. 2017. An economic interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. Routledge.
Hathaway, O.A., 2017. Do human rights treaties make a difference?. In International Law and
Society (pp. 3-110). Routledge.
Waldron, J., 2017. A right-based critique of constitutional rights. In Bills of Rights (pp. 3-36).
Routledge.