What are rights?
Entitlements enjoyed by individual acknowledged by the society, backed + sanctioned by the State
Natural rights
- ordained by nature
- given by virtue of existence
- universal, inalienable, indivisible
- not codified, abstract
- difficult to enforce
Human rights
- inter war period: rise of fascist regime => persecution of Jews => shook collective conscience of world leaders
- UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (1948)
John Locke
3 rights: life, liberty, property
- advocate of freedom + governance by consent
- govt derived legitimacy from consent of governed & exists to serve interest of ppl
- implies limitation on power of govt as their prime objective should be to serve & protect individual rights & these rights should not be infringed upon w/o just cause
contemporary relevance
- marital rape
- custodial death
- development induces displacement
- human trafficking
- child marriage
- child labour
- media trial