Description
Human rights occur as one of the highly coveted topics across various contexts all around the world. A reflection on the contemporary world depicts the deliberate violation of human rights by anarchist and dictatorial governments. In fact, the whole world is yet to establish a long lasting solution that would prevent the occurrence of war and conflicts, which offer a viable platform for the violation of human rights. Nonetheless, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights occur as one of the various documents established with the sole intent of curbing massive violation of human rights, which mainly occurs as a result of wars and conflicts. Created in the in 10th of December, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights spells on the fundamental rights and freedoms that all humans of all walks of life are entitled to (Mertus 18). Precisely, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a transnational document that dictates on the basic and fundamental freedoms and rights that human beings should enjoy. The inhumane experiences of the earlier world wars motivated the eventual approval of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of Nations.
The inception of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights marked the first time in which various countries from around the globe came to an agreement on the need to develop an all-inclusive document on undeniable human rights. While it is true that various countries played a role in contributing towards the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there is a need to note that Australia is the main country that contributed more towards the development of the document. This is evident by the fact that Australia was the founding member of the United Nations. For this reason, it is Australia that played the core role of advocating the United Nations Charter in the year 1945 (Forsythe 12). On another note, Australia was part of the eight countries that were greatly involved in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a nutshell, various personalities drawn from Australia including Dr. Evatt, were greatly involved in efforts aimed at ensuring eventual adoption the Declaration.
Many at times, people tend to confuse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for a treaty. There is a need to understand the fact that the Declaration is not a treaty. This is justified by the fact that the Declaration does not create any direct legal obligation for countries that are party and those that are not party to it (Forsythe 27). Despite the fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not a treaty, it is essential note that it expresses the vital values that are shared mutually by the global community. Notably, the Declaration has and continues to have a profound influence on the creation of international human rights laws across different contexts. The fact that various nations have invoked the Declaration in a number of its humanitarian laws has led to the emergence of a pertinent notion that the Declaration has evolved into binding as a component of customary international law. In addition, the Declaration has offered an ample platform that has resulted in the initiation of various international agreements that bind various nations. An example of an international agreement created on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Comprising of close to 30 articles the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is founded on the basis that human rights are collective or universal. This means that human rights are meant to be enjoyed by all people regardless of their geographical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. The Declaration begins by appreciating the fact that freedom, peace and justice are founded on the basis of the integral self-worth of all members of the human race. For this purpose, the Declaration comprises of political, social, civil, cultural, and economic rights such as right to social security, education, and health, as well as the right to life, free speech, and liberty (Lauren 9). Conclusively, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes countries obliged to protect and respect human rights. Such obligations refrain states from curtailing or interfering the enjoyment of human rights.
Liberal Theology Point of View
A close analysis of liberal theology shows that it is founded on the basis of advocating for the needs of the oppressed. However, liberal theology is at times biased as evident by the fact that different theologies are determined by the social and economic classes of those who develop them. Notably, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be reviewed from a liberal theological point of view. Liberation theology point of view from a Latin American such as Oscar Romero will certainly recommend the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights across various states. Liberation theology is embedded with a social role of protecting human rights and defending human dignity (Rieger 65). In a nutshell, liberal theologians have a magisterial theology role of protecting human dignity. For this purpose, the liberation theologian such as Oscar Romero would have a positive view of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Evidently, liberation theology argues that three concerns; worth, dignity, and integrity of persons are the basic presumption of human rights. Notably, these concerns require various personal freedoms including freedom to love a properly life, freedom of conscience, freedom from oppression and unjust exploitation (Dietrich 48). Evidently, these freedoms are distinctly enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Liberation theology is further founded on the basis that the right of one community member does not override the well-being of the whole community. Therefore, the community may rescind the privileges of one member in order to advocate the privileges of others. With regards to this, liberation theology will be of the opinion that the Declaration is justified as it promotes the rights of all the community members at the expense of a few individuals (Kaplan 10).
Oscar Romero was a liberation theologian drawn from the Catholic Church. Evidently, the tragic experiences of the Catholic Church in the early years prompted the need for need for a platform where human rights could be protected. Therefore, the Declaration offered an ample platform where protection of human right advocated by the church could be realized. The fact that liberation theology was closely linked with the church means that they had a social mission to assure mutual co-existence in the society. Mutual co-existence could not be realized in a society where fundamental human rights were not guaranteed (Gottlieb 33). In conclusion, liberation theology from its supporters such as Oscar Romero would show massive support for the Declaration as discussed herein. In conclusion, liberation theology was crucial in popularizing the use of “human dignity” or “dignity” in the human rights discourse.
Work Cited
Dietrich, Donald J. Human Rights and the Catholic Tradition. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2007. Internet resource.
Forsythe, David P. Encyclopedia of Human Rights: Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Gottlieb, Roger S. Liberating Faith: Religious Voices for Justice, Peace, and Ecological Wisdom. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003. Print.
Kaplan, Jeffrey, Bron R. Taylor, Laura Hobgood-Oster, Adrian J. Ivakhiv, and Michael York. Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. , 2008. Internet resource.
Lauren, Paul. The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania, 2013. Print.
Mertus, Julie. The United Nations and Human Rights: A Guide for a New Era. New Jersey: Routledge.
Rieger, Joerg. Liberating the Future: God, Mammon, and Theology. London: Fortress Press. Print.
