International Law explainers / What are human rights and why do they matter?

We hear a lot about human rights, but what are they?

Well, first of all, they're an idea: the idea that we are all born with the same rights and freedoms, as human beings.

The idea was written down and published by the UN in 1948 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which all sounds good, but what does it mean in reality?

It means human rights are protected by international law and some states have integrated them into their constitution.

But human rights are still often ignored or abused across the world.

That's because it's hard to enforce these rights, or to punish those who abused them, and not all states share the same values.

When states don't protect people's rights, pressure from the international community and NGOs can help.

And some cases do end up in international courts. So, where does that leave you? Knowing your rights is the first step to defending them.

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