Is democracy necessary to protect universal human rights Essay - 1

Is democracy necessary to protect universal gentlemans gentleman mightilys - Essay pillow slipThis leads us to the last premise, democracy and gentle rights are closely interlinked to a point that they strengthen individually other and that they are inseparable. Meaning, each is vital to the other. If human rights define democracy, democracy facilitates the realization of human rights. In short, the necessity of democracy for the protection of universal human rights resides on the very principles, process, and nature of democracy. To explain further, each premise is discussed below. Premise 1 Democracy upholds the principles of universal human rights. To explain this premise entails a apprize discussion on the concepts of democracy and human rights, because this premise rests its assertion on the very principles that these two concepts uphold. benevolent rights Donnelly (2003, 10) explains, are literally, the rights that wizard has simply because unity is human. As such, he characterizes human rights to be equal, absolute and universal. Meaning human rights are applicable to all human being regardless of color, sex, and creed. It is absolute that it can non be denied from any one. In fact to him, even those who behave badly are entitled to these rights since no one can stop one from being human. This perhaps is due to the fact that no man is perfect. all(prenominal) one of us at one time or another in our lives commits mistakes. This however should not be misconstrued as a justification for violating ones right, because as always said, in every right there is a corresponding responsibility. In other words, ones exercise and employment of his/her right should not obstruct nor limit anothers exercise of his/her right. A classic representative of this is the exercise of ones right to freedom of speech/expression. As Amnesty International states your right to freedom of speech is limited by your responsibility not to say untrue things which will rase another person and abuse their right to dignity and good reputation (cited in Spring 2000, 70). Meaning, one cannot make use of his/her right to freedom of expression by committing oral defamation or slander. This distinctly illustrates that human rights should be exercise with respect for the rights of others. Thus human rights must reside on facts and truths. Therefore, human rights are rights that recognize the dignity which set human beings far above from other forms of animals, that violating any of it is a direct assault to human dignity. However, human rights unless justified and accepted would be useless. In practice today, human rights are justified by a constitution or declaration (Parsons 2004, 32-33). An example of which are the ordinary Declaration of Human Rights and international treatises such as the International Covenant on Civil and semipolitical Rights, 1966 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966 the Convention on the Rights o f the Child, 1989 the Convention on the bar and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948 the International Convention on the Elimination of altogether Forms of racial Discrimination, 1965 the Convention against twisting and Other Cruel, Inhuman or degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 1979 (United Nations 2003). Notably though, these human rights instruments could only be possible under democracy. Why is it so, necessitates our understanding of democracy. defining democracy is not simply an academic exercise but