By the end of the topic, learners should be able to:
Define Human Rights and Democracy.
Outline reasons for studying Human Rights and Democracy.
Describe Democratic Institutions.
Discuss examples of Human Rights.
Definition
A right is an ability to do something that is good and honourable and can be done by any free human being.
Human rights are those claims that must be enjoyed by every person on the basis that she or he is a human being.
Human rights are conditions that people must live in because they belong to the human race.
Human rights are important to every person in every society.
Examples of human rights include the right to life, right to food and right to safety.
Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms that are written in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Characteristics of human rights
Universal
Human rights are universal.
This means that they apply to everyone despite their colour, race, language, class, sex or culture.
Focus on person's dignity
Human rights also focus on a person's dignity and worth which must be protected and respected.
Human rights are innate. This means that rights are possessed by every individual from birth.
Legally protected
Human rights are also legally protected.
They cannot be given or taken away from an individual.
Others can only interfere with those rights but cannot take them away.
Interdependent
Human rights are interdependent which means that no right can be fully enjoyed at the exclusion of other rights. For example, the right to life is meaningless if there is no right to food and shelter.
Types of human rights
Human rights are grouped into three broad classes which are:
First generation human rights (Civil and political rights).
The second generation human rights (Economic, social and cultural rights).
Third generation human rights (Group rights).
First generation human rights (Civil and political rights)
This class is made up of civil and political rights that are enjoyed by people as individuals.
They relate to the relationship between an individual and the state.
The law must protect these rights.
Examples of civil and political rights are:
The right to life.
The right to security.
Freedom of speech, religion, assembly and movement.
Second generation human rights
This class is made up of economic, social and cultural rights.
They focus on people's means of survival and the way they earn a living.
These rights are concerned with the living standards of people in their community or nation.
These rights cannot be enforced in the same way as civil and political rights because they are mainly goals that the state has to fulfill.
Some examples of economic, social and cultural rights are:
The right to social security.
The right to rest and leisure.
These rights require resources from the state in order to meet them.
Governments must create a suitable environment in which other players can assist in the realisation of these rights.
Third generation human rights
These are group rights that can be enjoyed by the community together. Examples of these rights are:
The right to peace.
The right of minority groups.
The right to development.
Importance of human rights
Human rights are very important to us because:
They allow us to live as human beings.
They allow us to know our rights and responsibility in the society.
They enable people to develop their full potential and to participate fully in society.
They allow us to know when our rights are denied to us.
Responsibility of citizenship
Democracy
Democracy is the rule of the people.
It is a system of the government in which government is conducted with the free will of the people.
The authority of the government comes from the people.
Members of the government are elected by the people.
In a democracy, people choose the government and agree to be ruled by it because they have faith in its ability to manage the affairs of the country in their own interests.
Democracy means the representation and participation of people in the governing of their affairs at all levels in the society.
The basis of democracy is the idea that decisions that affect the society as a whole should be made by all its members.
Features of democracy
Distribution of powers
Equality
Rule of law
Multi-party system
State respect of Human rights
Transparency and accountability
Fair and free elections
a) Free and fair elections
Elections should be held freely and fairly.
The electoral system should be put in place to look into important voting issues.
The electoral system includes the laws that specify which offices are electable, how individual elections are conducted and the registration of voters.
b) Transparency and accountability
The people must know what is happening in the country to make sure that the government is accountable.
Transparency is achieved through attending public meetings and print media such as newspapers, books, pamphlets as well as electronic media such as televisions and radios.
c) Civil and political rights
In a democracy, people must enjoy their civil and political rights such as:
freedom of expression
freedom of association
freedom of movement
d) Citizenship participation
Citizenship participation refers to the participation of citizens or taking part of citizens in the government.
Participation may be in the form of voting during elections and accessing information about governance.
e) Rule of law
The rule of law requires that all people are subject to the same, known and fair laws.
No person is above the law.
All people are equal before the law and they should be equally protected by the law.
f) Multi-party system
The multi-party system refers to the existence of many political parties in the country that participate in the governance.
It allows the expression of different views in government.
The multi-party system provides an opposition to the ruling party which then forces the ruling party to keep its election campaign promises.
f) Equality
Equality means that all people are equal before the law.
People must have equal opportunities not to be discriminated on the basis of gender, race or religion.
h) State respect for human rights
The government must ensure that human rights are respected and promoted.
A democratic government must have a bill of rights or declaration of rights in its constitution.
i) Separating powers
It is a principle in the Constitution that prevents any one branch of the government from having too much power.
It clearly sets the powers of the executive, legislation and judicial branches of the government.
Democratic institutions
There are several democratic institutions which are:
Direct democracy
Indirect/representative democracy
Consensus democracy
Majority democracy
Direct democracy
It is a system of the government where citizens of a country rule themselves.
There must be high levels of participation by citizens, consulted and involved in all important issues regarding the state.
Direct democracy is only possible in small societies with few citizens. An example of direct democracy is when you choose office bearers for a club.
Indirect democracy
Indirect democracy can also be called representative democracy.
People elect representatives for the purpose of carrying out day-to-day governing of the country on behalf of the people.
The elected representative makes decisions that represent the will of the people.
It is ideal for larger communities.
In a representative democracy, there must be regular elections to replace or retain their representative.
Majority democracy
A single party forms the government after winning the elections.
This party exercises a lot of executive powers until the next elections.
Consensus democracy
Consensus means agreement.
It is a political system in which power is spread throughout the government and parties.
Importance of democracy
Democracy is very important because:
It gives people freedom as they become aware and confident that they are safe and protected.
It allows equal opportunities for all people despite gender or religion.
It promotes peace in a country.
SUMMARY
A right is an ability to do something that is good and honourable in a society.
Human rights enable people to live peacefully in a society.
Rights play a pivotal role in a community or country as people become aware that they are protected in their day to day lives.
In a democratic society, people are free contribute to decision making.
Democracy is important in a country as it promotes the safety of the citizens.
