Many have noted the strong interdependence between human rights violations and intractable conflict. Abuse of human rights often leads to conflict, and conflict typically results in human rights violations. It is not surprising, then, that human rights abuses are often at the center of wars and that protection of human rights is central to conflict resolution.[20]
Violations of political and economic rights are the root causes of many crises. When rights to adequate food, housing, employment, and cultural life are denied, and large groups of people are excluded from the society's decision-making processes, there is likely to be great social unrest. Such conditions often give rise to justice conflicts , in which parties demand that their basic needs be met.
Indeed, many conflicts are sparked or spread by violations of human rights. For example, massacres or torture may inflame hatred and strengthen an adversary's determination to continue fighting. Violations may also lead to further violence from the other side and can contribute to a conflict's spiraling out of control.
On the flip side, armed conflict often leads to the breakdown of infrastructure and civic institutions, which in turn undermines a broad range of rights. When hospitals and schools are closed, rights to adequate health and education are threatened. The collapse of economic infrastructure often results in pollution, food shortages, and overall poverty.[21] These various forms of economic breakdown and oppression violate rights to self-determination and often contribute to further human tragedy in the form of sickness, starvation, and lack of basic shelter. The breakdown of government institutions results in denials of civil rights, including the rights to privacy, fair trial, and freedom of movement. In many cases, the government is increasingly militarized, and police and judicial systems are corrupted. Abductions, arbitrary arrests, detentions without trial, political executions, assassinations, and torture often follow.
In cases where extreme violations of human rights have occurred, reconciliation and peacebuilding become much more difficult. Unresolved human rights issues can serve as obstacles to peace negotiations .[22] This is because it is difficult for parties to move toward conflict transformation and forgiveness when memories of severe violence and atrocity are still primary in their minds.
International humanitarian law has been enacted to preserve humanity in all circumstances, even during conflicts. Such law "creates areas of peace in the midst of conflict, imposes the principle of a common humanity, and calls for dialogue ."[23] It rules out unlimited force or total war and seeks to limit the use of violence in the hopes of maintaining the necessary conditions for a return to peace. Various international committees are in place to monitor compliance with human rights standards and report any violations. When breaches do occur, they are brought to the attention of international tribunals or tried in an international court or war crimes tribunal.
But conflicts sometimes progress beyond the state at which international law can help. As the number of victims grows and more individuals are taken prisoner, tortured, or executed, it becomes more difficult to resort to the legal path.[24]
In addition, it is often difficult to "reconcile the safeguarding of human rights with conflict resolution."[25] Many peacekeeping and conflict-prevention initiatives have failed both to protect human rights and help the parties towards conflict resolution. In part this is due to the fact that while wars between states have diminished, wars within states have escalated. Many internal conflicts involve a surge in organized violence. Genocide, crimes against humanity, and aggression against civilians have become a central part of warfare in these "internal" conflicts. Such violence often arises out of identity issues -- in-group/out-group dynamics -- and attempts of one ethnic or religious group to gain and maintain political control and to exclude other groups.[26] Such conflicts are often not fought over principles or ideas, but rather focus on differences. The "outsiders" are dehumanized, making human rights violations such as severe discrimination or ethnic cleansing all the more psychologically feasible. Thus, attacks on human rights are often at the very heart of these internal conflicts.[27]
In response, public authorities must regain control of organized violence. This means a re-establishment of the rule of law and a rebuilding of trust in public authorities. In addition, more inclusive, democratic values are needed to defuse exclusivist ideals.[28] In the face of such violations, leaders must champion international legal norms and human rights. These human rights norms are central to the maintenance of civil society, and necessary for grounding attitudes of tolerance and mutual respect within communities.
Serious difficulties arise, however, when those in power are responsible for human rights violations. In this case, outside intervention is necessary to stop the abuse.
There is much disagreement about when and to what extent outside countries can engage in humanitarian intervention . More specifically, there is debate about the efficacy of using military force to protect the human rights of individuals in other nations. This sort of debate stems largely from a tension between state sovereignty and the rights of individuals.
Some defend the principles of state sovereignty and nonintervention, and argue that other states must be permitted to determine their own course. It is thought that states have diverse conceptions of justice, and international coexistence depends on a pluralist ethic whereby each state can uphold its own conception of the good. Among many, there is "a profound skepticism about the possibilities of realizing notions of universal justice."[29] States that presume to judge what counts as a violation of human rights in another nation interfere with that nation's right to self-determination . In addition, requiring some country to respect human rights is liable to cause friction and can lead to far-reaching disagreements.[30] Thus, acts of intervention may disrupt interstate order and lead to further conflict.[31]
Others think, "Only the vigilant eye of the international community can ensure the proper observance of international standards, in the interest not of one state or another but of the individuals themselves."[32] They maintain that massive violations of human rights, such as genocide and crimes against humanity, warrant intervention, even if it causes some tension or disagreement. Certain rights are inalienable and universal, and "taking basic rights seriously means taking responsibility for their protection everywhere."[33] If, through its atrocious actions, a state destroys the lives and rights of its citizens, it temporarily forfeits its claims to legitimacy and sovereignty.[34] Outside governments then have a positive duty to take steps to protect human rights and preserve life. In addition, it is thought that political systems that protect human rights reduce the threat of world conflict.[35] Thus, intervention might also be justified on the ground of preserving international security.
Nevertheless, governments are often reluctant to commit military forces and resources to defend human rights in other states.[36] In addition, the use of violence to end human rights violations poses a moral dilemma insofar as such interventions may lead to further loss of innocent lives.[37] It is imperative that the least amount of force necessary to achieve humanitarian objectives be used, and that intervention not do more harm than good. Lastly, there is a need to ensure that intervention is legitimate, and motivated by genuine humanitarian concerns. The purposes of intervention must be apolitical and disinterested. However, if risks and costs of intervention are high, it is unlikely that states will intervene unless their direct interests are involved.[38]
Many note that in order to truly address human rights violations, we must strive to understand the underlying causes of these breaches. These causes have to do with underdevelopment, economic pressures, various social problems, and international conditions.[39] Indeed, the roots of repression, discrimination, and other denials of human rights stem from deeper and more complex political, social, and economic problems. It is only by understanding and ameliorating these root causes and strengthening civil society that we can truly protect human rights.
[1] Helena Kennedy. "Conflict Resolution and Human Rights: Contradictory or Complementary?" INCORE, 1.
[2] Don Hubert and Thomas G. Weiss et al. The Responsibility to Protect: Supplementary Volume to the Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. (Canada: International Development Research Centre, 2001), 144.
[3] Jordan J.Paust et al. Human Rights Module: On Crimes Against Humanity, Genocide, Other Crimes Against Human Rights, and War Crimes, (Carolina Academic Press.2001), 130.
[4] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 144.
[5] Paust, et al., 131.
[6] United Nations Press Release SG/SM/6524 SC/6503 "Secretary-General Says Proposals in his Report on Africa Require New Ways of Thinking, of Acting" (16 April 1998, accessed 30 January 2003). Available at http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/sgreport/pressrel.htm ; Internet.
[7] "Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict: United Nations Response." United Nations. Available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm ; Internet.
[8] "Sexual Violence." Available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm ; Internet.
[9] "Sexual Violence." Available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm ; Internet.
[10] Antonio Cassese, Human Rights in a Changing World . (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990), 90.
[11] Cassese, 123.
[12] Cassese, 90.
[13] "Human Rights Today: A United Nations Priority," The United Nations, (2000), available at: http://www.un.org/rights/HRToday/ ; Internet.
[14] " 'Dirty War' in Chechnya: Forced Disappearances, Torture, and Summary Executions." Human Rights Watch, March 2001. Vol. 13, no. 1, 4. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/chechnya/RSCH0301.PDF ; Internet.
[15] Cassese, 122.
[16] " 'Dirty War' in Chechnya," 31.
[17] "Human Rights Today: A United Nations Priority"
[18] Cassese, 108.
[19] Matthews, "Women's Rights are Human Rights"
[20] Kennedy, 1.
[21] "Human Rights Today"
[22] Michel Veuthey, "International Humanitarian Law and the Restoration and Maintenance of Peace." African Security Review, Vol. 7, No. 5, Institute for Security Studies, 1998. Available at: http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/ASR/7No5/InternationalHumanitarian.html ; Internet.
[23] Veuthey, "International Humanitarian Law and the Restoration and Maintenance of Peace."
[24] Veuthey, "International Humanitarian Law and the Restoration and Maintenance of Peace."
[25] Kennedy, 6.
[26] Kennedy, 8.
[27] Kennedy, 9.
[28] Kennedy, 9.
[29] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 133.
[30] Cassese, 58.
[31] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 133.
[32] Cassese, 55-6.
[33] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 135.
[34] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 136.
[35] Cassese, 58.
[36] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 136.
[37] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 137.
[38] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 141.
[39] Cassese, 59.
Use the following to cite this article: Maiese, Michelle. "Human Rights Violations." Beyond Intractability . Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 < http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/human-rights-violations >.
The intractable conflict challenge.
Our inability to constructively handle intractable conflict is the most serious, and the most neglected, problem facing humanity. Solving today's tough problems depends upon finding better ways of dealing with these conflicts. More...
Get the Newsletter Check Out Our Quick Start Guide
Educators Consider a low-cost BI-based custom text .
Constructive Conflict Initiative
Join Us in calling for a dramatic expansion of efforts to limit the destructiveness of intractable conflict.
Practical things we can all do to limit the destructive conflicts threatening our future.
A free, open, online seminar exploring new approaches for addressing difficult and intractable conflicts. Major topic areas include:
Scale, Complexity, & Intractability
Massively Parallel Peacebuilding
Authoritarian Populism
Constructive Confrontation
An look at to the fundamental building blocks of the peace and conflict field covering both “tractable” and intractable conflict.
Beyond Intractability / CRInfo Knowledge Base
Home / Browse | Essays | Search | About
Links to thought-provoking articles exploring the larger, societal dimension of intractability.
Information about interesting conflict and peacebuilding efforts.
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Beyond Intractability or the Conflict Information Consortium.
Beyond Intractability
Unless otherwise noted on individual pages, all content is... Copyright © 2003-2022 The Beyond Intractability Project c/o the Conflict Information Consortium All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced without prior written permission.
Guidelines for Using Beyond Intractability resources.
Citing Beyond Intractability resources.
Photo Credits for Homepage, Sidebars, and Landing Pages
Contact Beyond Intractability Privacy Policy The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess , Co-Directors and Editors c/o Conflict Information Consortium Mailing Address: Beyond Intractability, #1188, 1601 29th St. Suite 1292, Boulder CO 80301, USA Contact Form
Powered by Drupal
production_1
Gender-based violence is a human rights concern.
People who experience gender violence may suffer from different human rights violations – for example the right to life, freedom from torture and degrading treatment, freedom from discrimination and the right to safety and security. All these rights can be found in international and regional human rights documents, in particular by the United Nations and by the Council of Europe.
The right to life, gender equality, prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of sex, protection of physical integrity, the right to health - to mention a few of the human rights impacted by gender-based violence - are safeguarded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights.
In order to step the combat against violence and discrimination against women, the United Nations adopted specific instruments and measures.
As a human rights issue, gender equality and gender-based violence are addressed firstly by human rights instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter.
The growing awareness of the extent and persistence of the problem has led to the creation of specific instruments addressing gender-based violence in its various forms.
Despite the significant progress achieved with the instruments mentioned above, recognition and existing legal measures are not sufficient. Effective mechanisms and processes for violence prevention and gender mainstreaming need to be put in place. In addition to the international human rights mechanisms, important policies or bodies at national level need to include:
Chapter 1: Gender identity, gender-based violence and human rights
Gender Matters, a manual on addressing gender-based violence affecting young people
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Here is a 200-word short sample essay on basic Human Rights. Human rights are a set of rights given to every human being regardless of their gender, caste, creed, religion, nation, location or economic status. These are said to be moral principles that illustrate certain standards of human behaviour.
The contribution of the Human Rights Council to preventing human rights violations. The Human Rights Council has highlighted the importance of prevention since its creation in 2006 through regular resolutions on "the role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights" (see below). In 2014, the Council mandated OHCHR to ...
Look through 👁️ and use our 240 human rights essay examples and ideas. IvyPanda® Free Essays. ... in the European Middle Ages, the eras of renaissance and enlightenment, and the idea of empowering all people, based on the concept of "natural law". ... Human rights violations experienced in Chile have been highlighted and the actions ...
The essay proposes a three-pronged reform of international human rights: (1) a shift from Western human rights to the more inclusive and pluralist notion of human dignity; (2) the promotion of global justice by rewriting the rules of global economic governance; and (3) mandatory political education on human rights and human dignity.
The ethical basis of human rights has been defined using concepts such as human flourishing, dignity, duties to family and society, natural rights, individual freedom, and social justice against exploitation based on sex, class or caste. All of these moral arguments for human rights are part of ethical discourse.
The question of human rights violations is difficult and controversial, with both sides having good points to make. Although advocating for the rights of humans plays a vital role in establishing a fairer and more equated world, the complications involved in crossing international boundaries to intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign ...
World Report 2021, Human Rights Watch's 31st annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay ...
Examples of definitions of human rights violations* Extrajudicial execution or other killing Under the ICCPR everyone has the right to life and the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of ... form of violence against women or gender-based violence. ICERD art. 5(b); ICCPR art. 7; ICESCR art. 12; ICRMW arts. 10, 16(1) and 16(2); CAT arts. 1 and
Much of our current understanding of human rights is based on international law, especially on the conception of rights included within the United Nation's nonbinding Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948.This document creates a list of what is now commonly accepted as individual rights, including political rights; civil rights; social, economic, and cultural rights ...
When the history of the COVID-19 pandemic is written, the failure of many states to live up to their human rights obligations should be a central narrative. The pandemic began with Wuhan officials in China suppressing information, silencing whistleblowers, and violating the freedom of expression and the right to health. Since then, COVID-19's effects have been profoundly unequal, both ...
The ethical basis of human rights has been defined using concepts such as human flourishing, dignity, duties to family and society, natural rights, individual freedom, and social justice against exploitation based on sex, class or caste. All of these moral arguments for human rights are part of ethical discourse.
The US continues to lead the world in reported incarceration rates. Approximately 2.3 million people were locked up on any given day in 2020. There are about 10 million admissions into jails each ...
If implemented, these actions will constitute war crimes, as well as violations of the human rights to adequate housing,224 education and non-interference with family and home. The development of a lucrative tourism industry based in and around Kfar Adumim has contributed to the economy of the neighbouring settlements and galvanized the drive ...
S/RES/2171 (2014) Several human rights mechanisms have sought to develop early warning capabilities with a view to the early identification of human rights violations but also the consequent effects of conflict or crisis that such violations can generate. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination developed, in the aftermath of ...
Civil and political rights are violated through genocide, torture, and arbitrary arrest. These violations often happen during times of war, and when a human rights violation intersects with the breaking of laws about armed conflict, it's known as a war crime. Conflict can also trigger violations of the right to freedom of expression and the ...
News about Human Rights and Human Rights Violations, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Some of the universal human rights abuses and those termed as crimes against humanity, according to Ekpa (2016), include genocide, torture, slavery, rape, enforced sterilization, medical experimentation, and deliberate starvation. In times of warfare, there is often a widespread violation of human, political, and fundamental rights.
This paper may be cited as: Taylor, Mark B., Luc Zandvliet and Mitra Forouhar. 2009. "Due Diligence for Human Rights: A Risk-Based Approach.". Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative Working Paper No. 53. Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Comments may be directed to the authors.
Part 4 examines the remedies against corruption-based human rights violations in the form of monitoring and enforcement. Part 5 concludes that the re-conceptualization of corruption not only as a human right issue but also as a potential human rights violation can contribute to closing the implementation gap of the international anti-corruption ...
Acknowledging hate crime as a human rights violation prompts recognition of such violence as a global indignity and a legitimate international concern. But should we categorize hate crime a human rights violation? ... IP based access. Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication ...
The "outsiders" are dehumanized, making human rights violations such as severe discrimination or ethnic cleansing all the more psychologically feasible. Thus, attacks on human rights are often at the very heart of these internal conflicts. [27] In response, public authorities must regain control of organized violence.
Equal and non-discriminatory. Article 1 of the UDHR states: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.". Freedom from discrimination, set out in Article 2, is what ensures this equality. Non-discrimination cuts across all international human rights law. This principle is present in all major human rights treaties.
Gender-based violence is a human rights concern. People who experience gender violence may suffer from different human rights violations - for example the right to life, freedom from torture and degrading treatment, freedom from discrimination and the right to safety and security. All these rights can be found in international and regional ...
Human Rights Watch | 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor | New York, NY 10118-3299 USA | t 1.212.290.4700 Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808 Human ...
Four years into President Evariste Ndayishimiye's administration, human rights defenders, activists, journalists and members of the political opposition continue to face intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrests and detention, and unfair prosecution, Amnesty International said today, as it released a new briefing on the persistent repression of civic space in Burundi.
Columbia students first formed CUAD in 2016. Nov. 16, 2023 The U.S. Department of Education opened a federal investigation into Columbia and several peer institutions over alleged violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act relating to antisemitic and anti-Muslim harassment—the first in a long line of federal inquiries into the ...