Human Rights

➡️ HUMAN RIGHTS - Dignity, Equality & Freedom

Human rights belong to all of us and must never be denied, regardless of a person's gender, place of birth, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other factor which may alienate an individual or group and result in discrimination. Many of us take our human rights for granted, but even today, millions of people are still fighting for them. Human rights go hand in hand with equality.

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity" - Nelson Mandela

In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations breaks down our basic rights into 30 separate categories. The declaration covers everything from freedom, security, the right to justice and protection of the law, asylum, democracy, and education.

Despite protective laws in place, human rights defenders, activists and NGOs, are still very much needed to protect people who do not have a voice. They play a vital role in fighting violations, often through legal systems and the courts.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ Human Rights

Explore our comprehensive guides on -

• Human Rights Organisations and Defenders

• Human Rights Laws and Mechanisms

• Human Rights Country by Country Guide

• Major Human Rights Issues

• Crimes Against Humanity

• Human Rights Conferences, Resources, Reports, and Journals

• Humanitarian Aid

• Human Rights Education

• Exemplary People in Human Rights

• The Sustainable Development Goals

Follow our unique human rights Twitter list for up-to-the-minute access to NGOs, civil and human rights defenders, and top human rights campaigns.

German speakers can visit our partner site, Bessere Welt Info and the excellent Menschenrechte category.

Human Rights Instruments & Protection Tools

Human rights instruments are the mechanisms, laws, and treaties that assist human rights defenders in upholding and protecting the rights of those at risk. The International Criminal Court was created to fill the void where national courts are unwilling or unable to seek justice for grave international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Other international mechanisms include the Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice. Many other regional mechanisms exist which are responsible for upholding human rights on a more local level. Find excellent resources on Europe, the Americas, Arabia, Africa, and Asia.

Learn about the different conventions, declarations, and treaty bodies, such as the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and many others.

Why is Human Rights Education Important?

Part of the problem in uplifting the rights of others is a lack of knowledge. Human rights education is an invaluable tool which can be integrated into every part of our lives.

If people are aware of the rights they are entitled to, and these rights are put at the heart of school systems, we can teach things like religious and cultural acceptance, gender equality, and empowerment. Through this type of education and excellent human rights study programs, we can promote dignity and equality in entire communities, societies, and the world.

Discover excellent resources on the topic, including human rights centres, courses, colleges, clinics, internships, graduate programmes, and human rights in schools.

Human Rights Defenders & Activists

Human rights defenders come in many forms but essentially includes anyone who is fighting to uphold the rights of others. Their responsibilities include raising awareness, promoting and protecting the civil, social, and political rights of others, and affecting positive change for a more equal world.

Those working in this field face numerous challenges, some of which endanger their lives. They often become the enemy of powerful governments, criminal groups, gangs, and corporations. In 2019, Colombia witnessed one human rights defender killed every four days.

Smear campaigns, threats, arrests, corrupt judicial processes, and forced disappearances are also commonplace - more often than not with complete impunity.

Here, you will find vital information on the protection tools and programmes available, organisations that safeguard rights defenders, and individual stories of activists, lawyers, journalists, trade unionists, and many others committed to human rights causes.

What are the biggest Human Rights Issues?

Human rights violations exist on a grand scale and force people to endure hardships, abuse, discrimination, and the removal of their rights.

The global refugee crisis has become an unignorable humanitarian catastrophe. It is estimated that there are more than 89 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, communities, culture, families, and livelihoods. Upon arrival, they face equally dire situations in their host communities. Families are separated, education and work opportunities are limited, there is a lack of housing and healthcare, language barriers exist, and isolation is crippling.

Marginalised groups face equally difficult circumstances. Find extensive categories featuring women's rights and gender inequality, children's rights, indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQI community.

Explore our guides on press freedom, democracy, spyware, mass surveillance, forced labour, and human trafficking. Approximately 27.6 million people are trapped by modern slavery, many of which are victims of human trafficking.

Rights issues surrounding the death penalty, prisons, and torture are of grave concern. With prison populations exceeding 11 million worldwide, common rights violations include severe overcrowding, appalling sanitary conditions, inadequate health care, and high levels of prisoner mortality.

Our Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) includes our right to safe water, nutritious food, adequate shelter, healthcare, education, work, and a clean environment are state obligations. These three pillars are interconnected. For individuals to enjoy equal opportunities and reach their full potential, these needs must be prioritised.

Which Countries are Suffering the Worst Humanitarian Crises?

Autocratic leadership, perpetual war, repressive policies, corruption, and severe punishment are the reasons some countries remain at the bottom of annual human rights world reports year after year. These humanitarian disasters often place the poorest and most vulnerable under unimaginable conditions for generations.

Explore our comprehensive resource featuring Israel and the historic institutionalised discrimination of Palestinians. Explore the devastation caused by forced evictions and demolitions, land grabs, unlawful killings and excessive force against protesters, and, of course, the recent humanitarian crisis caused by the War on Gaza.

Our guide to Iran heavily features freedom of expression and arbitrary detention, as well as a section on the death penalty and women's rights. Discover more about the 2022 anti-regime protests and the brutal government repression which followed.

Sticking with the Middle East, Turkey is a country continually struggling for democracy, the eroding rule of law, and its human rights obligations. A worrying trend in Turkish courts is the conviction of political opponents, journalists, human rights defenders and activists seemingly without evidence.

Learn about human rights concerns surrounding Qatar and the FIFA World Cup 2022, when global protests ensued following the death of many migrant workers and the severe discrimination of the LGBTQI+ community.

Afghanistan has historically battled with rights abuses and violations, but now even more so with the recent Taliban takeover. With educational and medical facilities destroyed and women's and girl's rights stripped, there has never been a greater need for humanitarian aid in this part of the world. With the Taliban now in charge, there is no representation from women or conflict victims, and going forward, there has been no mention of women's rights being reinstated or commitment of any kind to human rights in general.

In the Asian region, we highlight Tibet, Myanmar, China, and Russia. Tibet has suffered human rights abuses and cultural genocide for decades. Religious freedom, speech, movement and assembly are all restricted. In recent years, the use of surveillance and unlawful force has intensified. In Myanmar, the oppression of Rohingya in Rakhine state continues to devastate this stateless Muslim minority, and the 2021 military coup continues.

Workers' rights, freedom of expression, democracy, crackdowns on human rights defenders, and censorship are all extensively covered in the category on China. Also, find a category on the issues affecting Hong Kong, especially concerning the new National Security Law.

Regarding Russia, there are extensive resources featuring the crackdown on dissent, protests, and independent journalism. You will also find information on the persecution of the LGBTQI community, Jehovah's Witnesses, war crimes, and labour migrants, as well as full coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On Africa, find special features, including Egypt, where you can find up to date developments on religious violence, women's rights, forced disappearances, and multiple prisoner and security issues. With more than 4 million people displaced and violent abuses by militias commonplace, the refugee crisis in Sudan is the worst on the continent.

On Somalia, find extensive information regarding the ongoing conflict involving the Al-Shabab, issues relating to piracy, and the vast number of internally displaced people. Explore the ongoing conflict in Tigray, which has forced 2 million people to flee their homes. The total destruction of civilian services and the restrictions to aid access have exacerbated the devastating situation.

Human rights in the USA are also extensively featured. Comprehensive categories can be found on racism and police brutality, including, of course, the killing of George Floyd and the resulting national and global protests. Immigration, abortion restrictions, the controversial detention camp Guantanamo Bay, and the use of the death penalty are also covered, as well as many other rights concerns in the U.S.

What are Crimes Against Humanity?

Crimes against humanity are large-scale criminal acts which flagrantly violate human rights. Crimes which fall under this title include genocide, murder, torture, sexual violence, enslavement, and enforced disappearance. Defined for the first time in the 1945 Nuremberg Charter, they now fall under a number of very serious treaties which define these most heinous of crimes.

Learn about international criminal law and courts, current situations under investigation, how various NGOs work to prevent these types of atrocities, and the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. We recommend further related reading in our extensive guides on war crimes, the arms trade, and the Merchants of Death war crimes tribunal.

Human Rights for a Better World

The challenges associated with human rights violations are immense, and the sheer number of people in need is devastating. On top of the issues directly related to corruption, lack of democracy, conflict, and discrimination, we are now also seeing rights abuses exacerbated by the global climate crisis.

The number of internally displaced people has risen dramatically with the emergence of millions of climate refugees. Those who can no longer farm or survive on land they have used for generations, caused by drought, flooding, locust plagues, soil infertility, desertification, and extreme weather events, are forced to leave in search of increasingly limited suitable land.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hampered aid, drastically reduced funding, and allowed governments to impose restrictive laws. It has exposed failing healthcare systems, depleted medical resources, and corruption. Under the new Trump administration, the dismantling of USAID, the biggest humanitarian aid agency in the world, has left millions without vital services such as food assistance and medical care.

Never before has there been a greater need for humanitarian assistance.

Better World Info is a major platform for enabling the networking of human rights defenders and providing free, reliable, and readily available information these groups need. Better World Info is here to support the change towards a more equal world.

Better World Info is an open platform – We invite experts, NGOs, campaigners, and activists to contribute their knowledge and top resources! We are a constantly expanding, work-in-progress, committed to spreading reliable, critical, and investigative resources to help create an informed, knowledgeable, and curious world.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 11.01.23 (Updated 20.04.25) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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