Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law

Of course they do.

The question is: what law?

A kangaroo court is a law of sorts. Or perhaps Sharia Law appeals? If you think stoning a woman to death is still an appropriate punishment.

Or perhaps you could be under “house arrest” for 13 years.

Yes recognition as a person before the law is important but perhaps not as important as the law itself and its application in a fair and open manner.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

This has been one of the most debated and patrolled articles. The use of torture has been so widespread in times of war and terrorism that it has become government policy in many countries, just another extension of police and military processsing.

It probably falls under “does the means justify the ends” debate. Does torturing information out of a prisoner, which turns out to save lives, justify the action.

Abu Ghraib is an example of how it can all go horribly wrong. The US is not alone in taking whatever measures are needed to break or humiliate a prisoner.

There is no mention in the UNDHR of the responsibilities that come with the granting of rights. Clearly breaking the law is one of them and that would include waging terrorism or state sponsored war.

The Geneva Convention set the standard for treatment or prisoners in a more conventional theatre of war. But many political prisoners are routinely tortured and they may include prisoners arrested for any number of reason which may include terrorism, which these days cuts a wide swathe.

But when dealing with people who wish to kill and maim civilians (such as the 7/7 bombings in London) how far would you go in trying to extract information?

Is it justifiable under pragmatic grounds or should it just be ruled out? Does one take an absolutist perspective such as no death penalty or does one take a more relavatist or utilitarianist approach?

There are many differing views on this.

My personal view is that we should oppose torture. It just lowers us and keeps the fire of anger and hatred burning and quite frankly rarely achieves anything except to deliver more bad karma into the universe.

What do you think?

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

This seems pretty obvious and to many the days of slavery would seem to be long past. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. The trafficking of people (modern day slavery) continues to happen on a global scale.

Not many countries are unaffected in some way by this hideous activity. It’s long past our historic notion of black slaves taken from Africa to the Empire and beyond. Today slavery consists of bonded labour, early or forced marriage, forced labour, slavery by descent, forced sex work and extreme forms of child labour.

None of it is pleasant.

It’s true that our economic system prizes cheap labour and so in a way encourages that drive. Certainly it makes one think about why and how this still happens? Certainly people look to escape poor circumstances and that can often lead them into the hands of traffickers of hope but deliverers of hell.

But wherever you are reading this from don’t think your country is immune to this. It isn’t.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

This is as basic a right as there can be. It’s one of the foundations of Amnesty International, founded on the belief that people should not be carted off to jail because of their beliefs.

Founded in 1961 Amnesty International has campaigned since then for those people whose basic rights have been taken away from them like the two Portuguese students imprisoned for raising a toast to freedom.

Today the practice of imprisoning people without charge continues along with extra-judicial murder, disappearances and state approved torture.

Whoever you are and wherever you live, you should be able to go about your business free of fear that for some reason you will be taken away.

In some countries we have much to be grateful for. We should also be mindful that others do not share in our good fortune.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

This is a big statement.

It should be noted now that the Declaration is not a convention which means that member states cannot sign up to it. It’s merely, as it says, a declaration. Declarations are important however as they are statements of intention. This Declaration was intended to establish these rights and freedoms without distinction. In other words to override any concept of sovereignty. Which is probably why most countries have ignored it, in part or whole. Which is why it is important for us to revisit this not just to celebrate it every 10 years but to actual scrutinise it.

Is it workable? Would member states all be happy to stand up and make this Declaration out loud in front of the General Assembly? If the answer is no then it needs to be looked at again to establish its relevance.

“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.”

What I love about children is their innocence and their ability to accept people as they see them. The idea that we are all the same resonates with them. Sure we all look different on the outside but the key here is that we are born free and equal. At that moment of birth anything is possible. Then its a descent into society, culture and the rest.

The key here is equality in dignity and rights. It doesn’t mean we are all the same as clearly we all have different abilities. But just because someone can run faster than me doesn’t make them a better person. This is the key to dignity and rights.

We all deserve those. If we get them early in our life its likely we will turn out ok. At least that’s what I hope for.