Human Rights in the U.S. are guaranteed by the United States Bill of Rights. This constitutes the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, championed foremost by Thomas Jefferson. Under the Bill, Congress cannot make any law respecting a religious establishment, and cannot prevent the free exercise of any religion. Other guarantees include life, liberty, property, and the right to bear arms. The Bill plays a crucial symbolic role in the name of freedom of cultural preservation and diversity. As a part of the Constitution, it continues to guide legal and government decisions in the country.
The UDHR was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It sets out basic human rights to be recognized and granted globally, and was born out of the negative and suppressive experiences of World War II. The International Bill of Human Rights acquired the force of international law in 1976, and it consists of the UNDR, the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and its Covenants.
Its 30 articles guarantee rights such as equality in dignity and rights, prohibition of slavery, protection against arbitrary arrest, freedom of movement within states, right to a nationality, freedom of thought, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the right to education.
The Declaration does not have the binding effect of a treaty, but it serves as a symbolic and customary baseline and tool to impose diplomatic pressure on states that violate its terms. It has also served as a framework for many countries' Bill of Rights, and for binding international covenants such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
In 1979, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Treaty for the Rights of Women, officially known as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women [CEDAW]. CEDAW remains the most comprehensive international agreement on basic human rights for women. In the United States, in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the treaty but it was never ratified by the United States Senate. As of April 26, 2009, 186 countries have ratified CEDAW. Other states that have not ratified CEDAW include Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga. More than 200 American organizations support the ratification. This list includes the AARP, American Association of University Women, and the American Bar Association.
1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons
This Convention entered into force in 1960, and fell shy of its original intentions to clarify the status of stateless persons and to include a protocol establishing measures that would reduce the prevalence of statelessness.
Its articles secure rights such the right to property to be no less than that of aliens, the right to intellectual property to be no less than that of nationals, and protection against discrimination in fiscal charges.
For a list of countries who have ratified the Convention, visit HERE
For a chart comparing the former Commission on Human Rights with the new Human Rights Council- CLICK HERE
The United States was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on May 12, 2009. Currently, the HRC is the primary global intergovernmental body able to address human rights issues and this is the first time the U.S. has been an active participant. Membership will help generate goodwill toward the U.S. and prove the United States' commitment to multilateral diplomacy. The HRC is direct, resultant, and demands accountability in human rights from its members and the world. Through HRC actions, a strong basis in international action is created so countries can collectively come to the aid of any human rights crisis.
