What are human rights?
Human rights are basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person, everywhere, simply because they are human. They do not have to be earned, and governments cannot simply take them away.
Human rights rest on the idea of human dignity: every person has equal worth.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
After the horrors of the Second World War, including the Holocaust, nations came together to say "never again." In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It lists 30 articles of rights that belong to everyone.
A Canadian, John Humphrey, wrote the first draft. Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States chaired the committee that created it.
Kinds of rights in the UDHR
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Civil and political | life, liberty, freedom from torture and slavery, fair trial, freedom of speech and religion, voting |
| Economic and social | work, fair pay, education, health care, an adequate standard of living, housing |
| Cultural | taking part in cultural life, protecting your language and traditions |
Other agreements protect specific groups, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007).
Human rights in Canada and the United States
- Canada: the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) protects rights from government action. Federal, provincial and territorial human rights codes protect against discrimination in jobs, housing and services. Human rights commissions and tribunals handle complaints.
- United States: the Bill of Rights and later amendments, such as the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection, protect rights. Laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ban discrimination.
What is social justice?
Social justice is the idea that everyone deserves fair treatment, equal rights and equal opportunities. It asks: Are some groups treated unfairly? Who has power? How can society be made fairer?
Equality and equity
- Equality means giving everyone the same thing.
- Equity means giving people what they need so everyone has a fair chance.
Imagine three people of different heights trying to see over a fence. Equality gives each one the same box. Equity gives each the number of boxes they need to see. Some people suggest a third idea: removing the fence, which fixes the barrier itself.
Discrimination
Discrimination means treating someone unfairly because of who they are: their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age or other characteristics. It can be:
- Individual: one person treats another unfairly.
- Systemic: rules, practices or systems disadvantage some groups, even without anyone intending it.
A systemic barrier might be a building without ramps, a job test that isn’t related to the work, or a history of policies that kept some groups from owning land.
Rights in conflict
Sometimes rights clash. Freedom of expression can conflict with protection from hate speech. Religious freedom can conflict with equality rights. Courts and societies must balance them carefully, often asking which limits are reasonable and necessary.
Taking action for human rights
Throughout history, people have fought for rights we now take for granted:
- abolition of slavery
- women’s right to vote
- the U.S. Civil Rights Movement
- disability rights and accessibility laws
- Indigenous rights and reconciliation in Canada
- LGBTQ+ rights, including same-sex marriage (Canada 2005, United States 2015)
You can support human rights by learning about issues, speaking up against discrimination, supporting organizations, and making your own school more inclusive.
Try it yourself
- Pick one article of the UDHR. Find an example where that right is protected and one where it is under threat.
- Draw or describe the equality versus equity example in a school setting.
- Identify a possible systemic barrier in your community and propose a solution.
- Research a human rights defender and present their story.
Quick recap
- Human rights belong to every person because they are human.
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) lists rights for all people.
- Social justice seeks fair treatment and opportunities for everyone.
- Equality gives the same; equity gives what people need.
- Discrimination can be individual or systemic.