human rights

Table of Contents

Introduction
Historical development
- Origins in ancient Greece and Rome
- Natural law transformed into natural rights
- “Nonsense upon stilts”: the critics of natural rights
- The persistence of the notion
Defining human rights
- The nature of human rights: commonly accepted postulates
- The content of human rights: three “generations” of rights
  - Liberté: civil and political rights
  - Égalité: economic, social, and cultural rights
  - Fraternité: solidarity or group rights
- Legitimacy and priority
  - Liberté versus égalité
  - The relevance of custom and tradition: the universalist-relativist debate
  - Inherent risks in the debate
International human rights: prescription and enforcement
- Developments before World War II
- Human rights in the United Nations
  - The UN Commission on Human Rights (1946–2006) and the UN Human Rights Council
    - The UN Commission on Human Rights and its instruments
    - The UN Human Rights Council and its instruments
  - Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
  - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  - The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  - The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Its Optional Protocols
  - Other UN human rights conventions and declarations
- Human rights and the Helsinki process
- Regional human rights systems and developments
  - Human rights in Europe
  - Human rights in the Americas
  - Human rights in Africa
  - Human rights in the Arab world
  - Human rights in Asia
- International human rights in domestic courts
Human rights in the early 21st century

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Listen to former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick speaking on human rights and foreign policy

For Students

John Locke

human rights summary

Discover

Computer mapping, woman at early 1990s computer

Timeline of the 1990s

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Fastest Animals on Earth

Monitor. Varanus salvadorii is a monitor lizard found in New Guinea can grows to 2.7 metres (9 ft.) aka Tree crocodile, Crocodile monitor, Salvadori's monitor, artellia, reptile

7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Lizards and Turtles

Amendments 1-10 to the Constitution of the United States constitute what is known as the Bill of Rights on an American flag.

What Is the Emoluments Clause?

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

Internet http://www blue screen. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, media news television, crowd opinion protest, In the News 2009, breaking news

Who Invented the Internet?

human rights: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

SNP civil servants say order to work in office two days a week ‘an attack on human rights’ • May 11, 2025, 9:12 AM ET (The Telegraph)

Photos and Videos

Listen to former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick speaking on human rights and foreign policy

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

racial integration feminism voting rights Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs toleration affirmative action disability rights movement womanism suffrage liberty animal rights civil rights How Did the Magna Carta Influence the American Constitution?

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Theodore Bikel

Austrian-born actor. singer, and political activist

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Indian leader

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

United States official and diplomat

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar politician and opposition leader

Baba Amte

Indian lawyer and social activist

Andrey Sakharov

Andrey Sakharov

Soviet physicist and dissident

Pres. Duma Boko

Duma Boko

president of Botswana

Narges Mohammadi

Narges Mohammadi

Iranian human rights activist

Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier

American Indian activist

Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee

Indian politician

Ramsey Clark

Ramsey Clark

American human rights lawyer and U.S. attorney general

Judith Heumann

Judith Heumann

American disability rights activist

Hawa Abdi, 2013

Hawa Abdi

Somalian physician, lawyer, and activist

Michael D. Higgins

Michael D. Higgins

president of Ireland

Anna Mae Aquash

Mi’kmaq Indian activist

Ethel Skakel Kennedy

Ethel Kennedy

American human rights activist

Rebiya Kadeer

Uyghur entrepreneur

Kailash Satyarthi

Kailash Satyarthi

Indian social reformer

Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson

American attorney

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Dutch politician