Human Rights

Human rights are inherent in every human being. They are the great ethical yardstick that is used to measure a government's treatment of its people. A comprehensive consent has become apparent in the twentieth century which represents a worldwide agreement on the standards and steps necessary to achieve a more equitable world in which everyone might live and develop in accordance with their rights and dignity.

The United Nations growing participation in human rights agreements show that these rights exist universally and therefore have to be respected by everyone. The following quote by Immanuel Kant, "Perpetual Peace," in Hans Reiss (ed.), Kant: Political Writings, and 2nd.ed makes a clear notion of how much importance human rights should be given by a government to its people.

“A true system of politics cannot therefore take a single step without first paying tribute to morality. The rights of man must be held sacred, however great a sacrifice the ruling power must make”

Now coming in to consideration about Sri Lanka, we could discuss the practical application of human rights in the contemporary Sri Lankan society, its significance and the violations that have been taken place throughout the past years. To make the study of these topics more comprehensive I would like to choose two human rights stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Article 19

• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 25

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, and housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances...