Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. They can never be taken away, although they can sometimes be restricted – for example if a person breaks the law, or in the interests of national security.

These basic rights are based on values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence. But human rights are not just abstract concepts – they are defined and protected by law. In Britain our human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998.

Sadly it is also true that we have become so dependent on Human Rights and the concept of rights in general that we have become morally lazy. We unconsciously divide rights into two categories; ours and theirs. We will fight to the death for our rights. Our right to free speech, to own property, to own a gun. When it comes to the rights of others we are content to sign a petition or send a few bucks. If it doesn’t effect us directly it isn’t important. What I propose is that we need to start thinking in terms of responsibility. Human Responsibility. I don’t think that our ethical development will move forward without a strong sense of responsibility for ourselves and our world.

Human responsibilities seeks to bring freedom and responsibility into balance and to promote a move from the freedom of indifference to the freedom of involvement. If one person or government seeks to maximise freedom but does it at the expense of others, a larger number of people will suffer. If human beings maximise their freedom by plundering the natural resources of the earth, then future generations will suffer.

The idea that we are responsible is set out explicitly in the Declaration: 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. (Article 1) If we just lived out this one concept then everything else would follow. We don’t. We don’t because the economy that surrounds us is predicated on some people being worth more than others. We don’t because we see the world through our assumptions and beliefs about the world, not through rational and critical thinking. Finally, we don’t because it is easier not to, at least in the short run. Thus we need some further impetus to move us to take up our responsibilities as members of the human race.

Just to cut it short, it is important to know our rights as a human BUT knowing our responsibility is also essential. Know your rights, do you responsibility!

Sources: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights/what-are-human-rights​

http://interactioncouncil.org/universal-declaration-human-responsibilities​

https://ieet.org/index.php/IEET2/more/mcgilvery20111214