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Human Rights
Introducing Human Rights
Human rights have been an important part of almost every constitution since the first amendment of the US constitution introduced what is often called its Bill of Rights. The idea of statements of the rights of citizens goes back much further. The English would claim Magna Charta in 1215 as an important milestone – but this was mostly about the rights of the lords against the king and not the rights of ordinary people.
Constitutional provisions on human rights have gradually become more complex and comprehensive. National provisions on human rights have been supplemented and reinforced by international treaties which impose obligations on states and other entities to promote and protect rights, and establish machinery for international supervision of national implementation of these obligations. Human rights define and limit the scope of state powers and provide guidance for the exercise of those powers. They are one of the most important ways to declare national values and express the purpose of the state.
In this section you will find:
There is as yet not much information about individual rights. You can find some information in the websites listed in the Links section. And on freedom of expression you can find information in the section on the media. Look in the sections of this website on Children, Women and Persons with Disability for material on the rights of these groups.
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