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[Melany Rodriguez]
[Name of Instructor]
[English]
[1/23/2019]
The Populist Challenge to Human Rights
This article talks about the dilapidated situation of human right in the present era due to some anti-human agenda particularly post 9/11, Donald Trump's rule and some other similar incidents. We should not be desperate and give up the basic principles to work for the betterment of human right. The activists of human rights both locally and internationally need to rethink with some general principles in mind and with sustained efforts as an ongoing struggle and change the working mechanism. It's not easy to regain the lost integrity of human rights. We may face some critical issues in the year ahead. These issues could be the populist threat to democracy, the role of civil society, the linkage between inequality and exclusion and undermining the international rule of law.
According to this article, it needs a collective mindset to help defend human rights. For instance, “we need to maintain perspective, despite the magnitude of the challenges”. I too, agree with his point of view in a way that in an era where a violation of human rights is at peak, to bring back a state of the human-friendly environment, a mindset such as facing any hardship to reach the aim should be the motive. With a mentality that say by hook or crook we are going to fight for human rights is the only way to combat the unfortunate ill practices concerning human rights.
Regarding the issues of the past and some are likely expected ahead, we should adopt an optimistic approach with some useful strategies. For example, it needs effective and drastic coordination between international and local human right movements. Solo flight by various organisations can be ineffective in achieving the goals. The idea of decentralisation in different human right organisations can be a panacea to re-strengthen the human right movements.
Another strategy could be developing economic and social rights of all social groups in our agenda. There should be legislation and reforms in place to ban the harmful practices. The author suggests another important, challenging strategy, is to broaden its base which will clarify other working partners to help regain the real status of the human right. He believes that working mutually with the corporate sector is both necessary and inseparable for the uplift of human liberty.
The last but not the least strategy is persuasion as per the author. According to his principles and rules must be persuasive to be effective and long lasting to promote human right. Principles should not be written on the stone, he thinks. These should be flexible as per the need and requirement of restoring the human right.
According to the author, the scholars through their lectures and publications can also play a pivotal role in promoting human rights. He thinks some critical scholars are also responsible for bringing human rights to the existing situation; thus he suggests them to take account of unintended consequences.
In a nutshell, the author urges that we do not need to wait for the miracle to come for the sudden boost of human rights. We need to start acting right form now. We need to do whatever we can to promote respect for international human right. We need to manage principles in our own life and the area where we can affect both locally and internationally. Everyone in the human rights movement needs to reflect on the contribution each, and everyone can make irrespective of religion, faith, cast and gender.
In my opinion, the human right violation is happening everywhere. Some part of the world violation of human rights takes a different form and in other a different. Some countries, in fact in most of the countries gender equality is the main focus which every government and non-government agencies are working to vanish. Fighting poverty is another sort of human right violation which of course is due to the unequal distribution of wealth. Rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. What kind of world do we live in? Sometimes thinking of it makes me feel like everything is going so unjust here and fixing issues concerning humanity merely remains a dream to me.
The good thing, however, is the rise of human right activists, philanthropists advocating the need for human love is on the rising. As the writer in the article mentions, we should not wait for miracles to happen instead initiate change. Speaking for others right and even asking for one's fundamental right is witness to the fact that, desire for the betterment of human freedom is on the peak.
Some might ask that despite all the good work, NGOs working for securing human rights, human beings are suffering. Why is that? As per this article and also in my opinion change does not come overnight. It needs time and constant effort to unite everyone under the same goal. The hardest thing on earth is to educate someone on something. Many human rights issues are sensitive. For example, if we talk about patriarchy as a gender issue, it isn't going to disappear in a day or two. It needs people to be educated, get hold of the problem, and understand the meaning of what it means to have a gender-equal world. Majority of people aren't easy to let go their ego. To them, the status of power matter and in no means will they be ready to let the ego go. Change is the matter of educating minds and educating minds take centuries.
Work Cited:
Philip Alston “The Populist Challenge to Human Right” Journal of Human Rights Practice, Volume 9, Issue 1, Feb, 2017.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/hux007
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