While human rights is a universal concept, it has been defined and practiced in different ways. In some societies, human rights is absolute, a license for unbridled freedom that oftentimes infringes on others’ freedom. Other societies are more circumspect in their outlook, balancing the inalienable individual freedoms with the public good.
On December 10, the world marked the 75th annual edition of the United Nations Human Rights Day (UNHRD), under the theme “Freedom, Equality and Justice for All”. The day marks adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. From its then narrow definition and outlook, human rights now include a wide array of aspects of human dignity.
Moreover, human rights do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of an overall mix of abstracts that comprise, among others, sound democratic principles, values and practices, justice and the rule of law. Critically, you cannot divorce human rights from the provision and satisfaction of basic needs like food, shelter and education.
If human rights are universal, there should be no controversy about their satisfaction. Some major countries in the West have played double standards by deciding who is not meeting their human rights threshold, while on the other hand run roughshod over the rights of others, both within and away from their jurisdictions.
A good example is the dichotomy between the United States and China. Amid its pontifications and judgmentalism, the U.S. has weaponized the fight for human rights to attack its geopolitical nemesis, both diplomatically and economically. For instance, the superpower created a narrative of human rights abuse in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China’s largest province.
The U.S. rallied its Western allies to condemn the alleged oppression of the minority Muslim Uyghur population in the region, including the alleged use of forced labor of this demographic. Well, the narrative seems to have fizzled out the same way it appeared. While these accusations were totally unfounded, the U.S. forgot that its record of the torture and murder of thousands of Muslims in its so called war against terrorism is well documented, even by its own institutions of justice.
The U.S. has also forgotten how its refusal to enact strict gun laws on use and possession has led to wanton mass killings across the country, particularly of minorities and immigrants. The country has also ignored the often unprovoked, profiled and blatant police harassment and killing of Blacks. It makes matters worse that the perpetrators of many police killings are Whites. Overall, minorities in the U.S. are treated like second class citizens.
Child labor has also become rampant in the U.S., with findings in a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute noting that more than fourteen states have enacted or proposed laws rolling back child-labor protections. According to the report, the new laws have extended work hours for minors, lifted restrictions on hazardous work, lowered the age at which children can buss tables where alcohol is served, or introduced new sub-minimum wages.
Internationally, the U.S. human rights record is worse. From its vengeful Muslim-targeted war on terror to forced regime changes in unfriendly countries, the superpower has wrought devastation in many societies, particularly in Asia and Africa. Basically, U.S. hegemony has led to massive human rights abuses globally. A survey undertaken by “U.S. News” shows that the U.S. does not rank among the top countries that care the most about human rights globally, coming in at number 21.
So much for the double standards. Now, in August 2021, China issued a white paper that put human rights in the context of a developing country. Titled “Moderate Prosperity in All Respects: Another Milestone Achieved in China’s Human Rights,” the white paper shows the perfect balance between China’s practices and achievements in realizing moderate prosperity, and advancing human rights.
In the main, the white paper describes the country’s holistic human rights track record comprising a mixture of ending extreme poverty and securing the right to an adequate standard of living for its citizens, protecting civil and political rights with law and governance, promoting social equality, and protecting the rights of disadvantaged groups.
For developing countries, human rights and development are inseparable. Human rights is not an event, but a process that puts people’s lives first by, among other measures, ensuring they are gainfully employed, their environment is clean, women are empowered, and the rights of minorities are protected.
The UN Development Program (UNDP) notes that China is one of only a handful of nations to have moved from a low to a high position on the human development index. UNDP underlines the country’s eradication of extreme poverty through rapid economic growth, its dedication in fighting climate change and, leadership in science and technology as some of the strides that have made a positive impact in the country’s human rights record.
True, as the white paper notes, poverty is the biggest obstacle to human rights. The right to subsistence – including the right to food, safe drinking water, essential medical services, safe housing for the poor, and compulsory education in poorer areas – is the top priority in human rights.
