Rights of the people and responsibilities of govt

It is not surprising to see that violation of human rights is extensively found in many countries even in the 21st century when the human civilisation is believed to have reached its pinnacle. From the primeval time to the present, peoples have been struggling to establish their basic rights to move freely, to express their views and opinions unhindered. But their universal rights could not be secured smoothly. Millions of people lost their lives in the past, and thousands are losing their lives now due to the refusal of human rights, violation of constitutions, violation of the UN Charter by the power-hungry governments, the autocrats and the dictators.
It has been proved time and again that it is impossible to establish long-lasting peace in a country where violation of peoples' right is denied. The so called peace accords, peace deals of the last few decades have not produced any semblance of real peace that people all over the world look for. The conflicts, feuds between different races, between people and governments are happening in different parts of the contemporary world-- from Asia to Africa to Latin America. Lots of well-framed constitutions and charters are available in black and white in many countries, but proper implementation of the provisions for peoples' rights has not taken place in many countries.
Many conflicts are raging by the failure to guard human rights, and the trauma that results from severe human rights desecrations often leads to new human rights violations. As conflict intensifies, restoration of peace becomes tough and sometimes impossible. In order to stop this cycle of violence, states must institute policies aimed at human rights protection. Many believe that the protection of human rights is highly indispensable to the sustainable achievement of the three agreed global priorities of peace, development and democracy. The specific goal of promoting such rights is to increase safeguards for the honour and dignity of humanity.
Rights are the basics to which all citizens are considered entitled: the right to life, liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equal treatment before the law. Besides, there are the rights to worship as per one's faith, to vote and to run election for public office. These rights represent entitlements of the individual or groups as well as responsibilities of the citizens and the government authorities. Such rights are ascribed natural, which means that they are not earned and cannot be denied on the basis of race, creed, ethnicity or gender. These rights are often advanced as legal rights and protected by the rule of law. It is typically thought that the conduct of governments and military forces must comply with these standards for sustainable peace and progress.
Some basic rights that cannot be sullied under any circumstances are set forth in international human rights documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The rights established by these documents include economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights. The UN has many charters in black and white for member countries to follow but most of the charters remain unimplemented, or partly implemented by the undemocratic, "controlled-democratic", autocratic regimes of many countries.
To protect human rights is to ensure that people receive some degree of decent, humane treatment. All nations have a stake in promoting worldwide respect for human rights. International human rights law, humanitarian intervention law and refugee law all protect the right to life and physical integrity and attempt to limit the unrestrained power of the state. These laws aim to preserve humanity and protect against anything that challenges people's health, economic well-being, social stability and political peace. Underlying such laws is the principle of non-discrimination, the notion that rights apply universally.
In many countries public authorities and government officials institute policies that violate basic human rights. Such abuse of power by political leaders and state authorities hase devastating effects, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, killings of innocent people without trials, secret killings by the law-enforcing agencies. What can be done to safeguard human rights when those in power are responsible for rights violations?
History repeats itself in every country and every society. History teaches us that realisation of people's rights never happened smoothly, normally or automatically. It depends on the determination, strength and unity of the beleaguered and repressed people. Only revolutionary people or dedicated leaders can establish and ensure people's rights, can save them from the ugly clutches of the greedy autocrats. The sooner the people of the third world realise this, the better it is for them and the planet.
People in the third world are the most vulnerable victims to the malady prompted by the negation of human rights. Somalia, Congo, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan are the countries where hundreds of people are getting killed, wounded every day along with massive destruction of properties. All these known and unknown problems are created from violating and neglecting human rights.
 

The writer is the CFO of a private group of industries.                            m.jalal. [email protected]