CUP-DEAR_Q3_W4_HUMAN-RIGHTS TOPIC_PPT.pptx

CUP

1. Lord, I ask for your help in staying motivated and getting the most out of my studies. Give me the strength to keep going. Amen Opening Prayer

2. A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

3. In 539 B.C., the armies of Cyrus the Great, the first king of ancient Persia, conquered the city of Babylon. But it was his next actions that marked a major advancement for Man.

4. He freed the slaves, declared that all people had the right to choose their own religion, and established racial equality.

5. These and other decrees were recorded on a baked-clay cylinder in the Akkadian language with cuneiform script.

6. Known today as the Cyrus Cylinder, this ancient record has now been recognized as the world’s first charter of human rights.

7. It is translated into all six official languages of the United Nations and its provisions parallel the first four Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

8. There, the concept of “natural law” arose, in observation of the fact that people tended to follow certain unwritten laws in the course of life, and Roman law was based on rational ideas derived from the nature of things.

9. The Magna Carta (1215) The Magna Carta, or “Great Charter,” was arguably the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today in the English-speaking world.

10. Among them was the right of the church to be free from governmental interference, the rights of all free citizens to own and inherit property and to be protected from excessive taxes.

11. Why do we talk about human rights and not human responsibilities? The reason is that many governments make the "granting" of human rights dependent on certain "duties" imposed by the state or ruler, in this way making the whole idea of rights as birthrights meaningless. However, it goes without saying that we need to act responsibly as individuals and groups to respect the rights of others, not to abuse human rights and to advance the rights of others as well as ourselves. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

12. Who looks after human rights? We all need to. There is legislation both at national and at international levels which imposes restrictions on what governments are able to do to their citizens but, if no-one points out that their actions are violating international norms, governments can continue to violate them with impunity. As individuals, we need not only to respect the rights of others in our everyday lives but also to keep watch on our governments and on others. The protective systems are there for all of us if we use them.

13. Does anyone have a duty to protect my rights? Yes. A right is meaningless without a corresponding responsibility or duty on someone else's part. Every individual has a moral duty not to violate your personal dignity but your government, in signing up to international agreements, has not just a moral duty but also a legal duty.

14. Activity 1 What QUALITIES define a human being? What do you think is needed in order to protect, enhance and fully develop this qualities of human being? What does it mean to be fully human? How is that different from just “being alive” or “surviving”?