Mankind aims at creating a humane society. This is an age old desire and its roots are found in the ancient Indian civilization both in Vedic literature and in the prophecies of Buddha and his contemporaries. The concept of Human Rights in India may be seen to have existed in crystallization of values that are the common heritage of mankind. References occur as early as in the Rig Veda to the three Civil Rights, that of Tana (body), Skridhi (dwelling place) and Jibhasi (life). There may be differences in the approach towards analyzing the concept of humaneness in society, but the basic protection of the human qualities remains a common denominator in all such analyses. In the contemporary world it is known as human rights. These basic rights, which when denied to human beings create immense sufferings for the individuals, and tensions in the society. Being the basis of any humane society, they have also been referred to as 'Fundamental Rights', 'Basic Rights', Natural Rights', and above all 'Human Rights'. Human Rights: Concept Human rights are the inherent and inalienable rights due to human beings by virtue of being human beings. Human rights may be described as moral and legal rights, which aim at ensuring human dignity and are established through law-creating processes. Human rights also refer to principal civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. The human rights are legally recognized expectations from a state. It is generally believed that the state is the guarantor and protector of human rights. The most striking feature of the concept of human rights is that they may be difficult to define but impossible to ignore. Human fights are those rights which are considered to be absolutely essential for the survival and personality development of all human beings. Human rights are well codified and defined in the form of International Bill of Human Rights, along with various other conventions and declarations at the international level, and legislative enactments, executive orders and judicial pronouncements at domestic level. Human Rights: Classification Human rights can be broadly classified into two different perspectives: firstly, from the perspective of various aspects of human life-social, economic, political, moral and civil; and secondly, from the perspective of the methods of securing them. On the second basis, they are constitutional or legal. These classifications can be discussed under the following heads: * Natural Rights-Natural rights are those rights which are considered to be inherent and integral to human nature. * Moral Rights-These rights are based on the general principles of fairness and justice. The~e are simply aspirations and ideals of the people who claim for them. * Fundamental Rights-There are certain rights which are more important and basic than the others. For example, the right to life is the most basic of all rights upon which the enjoyment of other rights depends. * Legal Rights-Legal rights are uniform and open to all irrespective of the caste, color, race or culture. * Civil and Political Rights- Rights that are granted by government or civil society are called civil and political rights. * Economic, Social and Cultural Rights-These are entitlements of the individual vis-a-vis the state, in order to eradicate social inequality, economic imbalances and to limit disadvantages caused by nature, age and, so on. Universal Declaration of Human Rights The United Nations initiated the human rights movement as a prerequisite for international peace. United Nations has adopted' a charter of human rights and expects its members to respect these rights for their citizens. This charter is the first multinational multilateral treaty on human rights. A cornerstone of this post-war human rights regime is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted on December 10, 1948, ,which is commonly known as 'Human Rights Day'. The sources of this Declaration owe much to the English Revolution, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Mexican Revolution, and also the Russian and the Chinese Revolution. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights covers two sets of rights: * Civil and Political Rights-The Government is supposed to protect the life, liberty and security of all citizens. It should be guaranteed that no citizen is subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or torture. Nobody is to be enslaved. Everyone is entitled to a fair trial. Right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression are to be protected. * Economic, Social and Cultural Rights- States should continuously try to improve the living conditions of their citizens. They should guarantee the right to food, clothing, housing, medical care, the protection of the family and right to social security, education and employment.
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