Human Rights Violation
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a document that was created by officials from a different cultural and legal background. In 1948, the document was publicly announced by the United Nations as a universal standard that covers the human rights of all people and countries. However, about seventy years after it was issued, violations of human rights still exist in many countries. Statistics indicate that people: are subjected to torture in approximately eighty-one states, face unfair trial in more than fifty-four country, are denied the right of expression in about seventy-seven countries (United Nations). Additionally, women and children face marginalization in different ways, and the press is denied the freedom to access information.
The Right to Live Free
According to article 3 of UDHR, every person has the right to security, life, and liberty. However, this freedom has been violated in numerous ways in different countries. It is estimated that in 2007, 6,500 civilians were killed in Afghanistan. Half of the people were civilians who died at the hands of insurgents (United for Human Rights). Moreover, hundreds of innocent people were killed by armed groups in suicide attacks.
No Slavery
According to article 4 of UDHR, no individual shall be held as a slave, and all forms of the slave trade are prohibited. This right has continued to be violated in different parts of the world. For instance, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) found in the Northern regions of Uganda has kidnapped more than twenty thousand children in the last two decades and forced them to work as soldiers and sex slaves. In Guinea-Bissau, article 4 of UDHR is violated in the form of trafficking young children to Senegal to work in the cotton field located in Southern parts of Senegal (United for Human Rights). The same trend continues in Ghana, where children are trafficked in the name of better education and a bright future into unpaid and dangerous jobs in the fishing industry.
In the United States, the number of men, women, and children trafficked every year is about 700,000, and half of the number is composed of minors (United for Human Rights). A large number of girls and women are trafficked from Iraq into the United States. In most countries, including the UK, Canada, and the US respond to such people through deportation or harassment.
No Torture
Article 5 of the UDHR states that no one shall be tortured or subjected to cruel or any inhuman treatment. However, in 2008, about 270 prisoners were held in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba by U.S. authorities without being charged (United for Human Rights). The prisoners were subjected to “water-boarding” torture that induces drowning. President George Bush went ahead and gave a direct order for the CIA to continue detaining and interrogating the prisoners despite its violation of the UDHR law.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, torture and cruel treatment of citizens are usually carried by government security officers and other armed groups. Some of the acts of torture include beatings, stabbings, and rape cases. Individuals who are considered to be government critics are held in secret detention sites where they are tortured (United for Human Rights).
Freedom to Move
According to article 13 of UDHR, every person has the right to move freely. In addition, every individual can leave and return to his or her country at his own will. Most African countries have violated this human right. In Algeria, refugees and asylum seekers were subjected to detention. About twenty-eight individuals with official refugee status from UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) were expelled to Mali after being charged for illegally entering Algeria.
In Kenya, the government violated refugees’ freedom of movement when they denied the refugees from Somalia to cross the border. Asylum-seekers were illegally detained at the border without any charges and forced to return to Somalia.
Violation of Human Rights in Brazil
Brazil is faced with a high level of violation of human rights. Brazilian police officers participate in abusive practices instead of exercising the right policing practices. High-level justice officials who aim to punish police officers for their crimes get threats of violence (Human Rights Watch). Additionally, most detention sites are heavily crowded, and torture continues to be a significant problem in Brazil.
In Rio de Janeiro, crime gangs composed of police officers, firefighters, and jail guards have been implicated in routine violation of human rights. In 2012, police officers were responsible for 214 deaths in Rio de Janeiro and 251 killings in Sao Paulo (Human Rights Watch). Police defend themselves by stating that the deaths are as a result of confrontations with criminals.
Most of the prisons in Brazil are severely crowded. According to the Ministry of Justice Integrated System of Penitentiary Information (InfoPen), the incarceration rate in Brazil has increased by 40% in the last five years, and the population in prison is two-thirds more than the required capacity (Human Rights Watch). The overcrowding is as a result of the delays in the justice system.
Violation of Women’s Rights in the Islamic States
In most Islamic states, most of the Koran’s directives are applied in contemporary law. Similarly, family laws are based on the teachings from the Koran. For instance, divorce laws, marriage at a young age, polygamy, women’s choice of job, selecting the place of residence, and traveling are aspects of the Sharia law based on the Koran doctrine (Kamguian, 2018).
The rigid Islam laws have denied most of the people their basic human rights. According to Islamic teachings, men are considered to be superior to women. Therefore, women must live as submissive and obedient wives. The appropriate job for women is to take care of children, home, and generally to be housewives (Kamguian, 2018). Muslim women are made to believe that it is Allah’s command for them to be under male dominance.
In conclusion, the UHDR provides standard laws that must be applied in every country to prevent violation of human rights. The document ensures that there is no torture, slavery, and also everyone has the right to move and live free. However, there have been numerous occasions where human rights have been violated in Brazil, Islamic states, and other parts of the world as well. In Rio de Janeiro, crime gangs composed of police officers, firefighters, and jail guards have been implicated in routine violation of human rights. Moreover, Islamic states misinterpret the Koran to marginalize and violate the rights of women.
References
Human Rights Watch. (n.d.). World report 2013: Brazil. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/brazil#
Kamguian, A. (2018). Islam and women’s rights: Overcoming inequality. Retrieved from https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/islam-and-womens-rights/
United for Human Rights. (n.d.). Human rights violations. Retrieved from https://www.humanrights.com/what-are-human-rights/violations-of-human-rights/freedom-to-move-and-thought.html
United Nations. (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/