Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a landmark document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. It sets out fundamental human rights to be universally protected and is considered a milestone in the history of human rights.

The Declaration was drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world and has been translated into over 500 languages, making it the most translated document in the world.

Key Features of the UDHR :-

1. Preamble:
   • The preamble sets out the philosophical basis of the Declaration, emphasizing the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.
2. Articles:
   • The Declaration consists of 30 articles, which are not legally binding but have inspired a rich body of legally binding international human rights treaties, national constitutions, and laws.

Summary of Key Articles :-

1. Article 1:
   • All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
2. Article 2:
   • Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind.
3. Article 3:
   • Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
4. Article 4:
   • No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
5. Article 5:
   • No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
6. Article 6:
   • Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
7. Article 7:
   • All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.
8. Article 8:
   • Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted to him by the constitution or by law.
9. Article 9:
   • No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.
10. Article 10:
    • Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
11. Article 11:
    • Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law in a public trial at which they have had all the guarantees necessary for their defense.
12. Article 12:
    • No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to attacks upon their honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
13. Article 13:
    • Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country.
14. Article 14:
    • Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
15. Article 15:
    • Everyone has the right to a nationality.
16. Article 16:
    • Men and women of full age have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage, and at its dissolution.
17. Article 17:
    • Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their property.
18. Article 18:
    • Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
19. Article 19:
    • Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
20. Article 20:
    • Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
21. Article 21:
    • Everyone has the right to take part in the government of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
22. Article 22:
    • Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security.
23. Article 23:
    • Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment.
24. Article 24:
    • Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
25. Article 25:
    • Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care.
26. Article 26:
    • Everyone has the right to education.
27. Article 27:
    • Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community.
28. Article 28:
    • Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
29. Article 29:
    • Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of their personality is possible.
30. Article 30:
    • Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any state, group, or person any right to engage in any activity aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Significance of the UDHR:

• Inspirational Value: Although not legally binding, the UDHR has influenced many national constitutions and international human rights treaties.
• Foundation for International Law: It serves as a foundation for various international treaties and conventions that are legally binding.
• Global Recognition: The principles laid out in the UDHR have been accepted by virtually all states, providing a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations.

The UDHR remains a powerful tool in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, symbolizing the universal recognition of the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family.