Universal Human Rights by Jack Donnelly

Human Rights are often confused with Civil Rights, a term used mostly in the USA. The UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (discussed heavily in this book) are essentially about personal rights; the right to equality with your countrymen, the right not to be owned by another man, and the right not to be forcibly mutilated. Jack Donnelly, a professor at the University of Denver, writes about how Human Rights developed over hundreds of years, mainly with industrialized Europe. But one of the problems with the UDHR is that it doesn't jive with a lot of nations. If it's the norm in your country to sell the youngest daughter to pay for the oldest daughter's wedding, do you think your country is going to give a damn about "rights"? Not likely!

Universal Human Rights doesn't dance around the facts. It clearly portrays human rights as something difficult to implement and enforce. Furthermore, it discusses how human rights are based on European philosophy that traditional societies may not understand. For instance, Donnelly write about how the British government made laws regarding child laborers and factory hours, so we can see that the idea of "rights" began over a hundred years ago. But look at the issue of location; Britain wasn't a land of right, on the contrary it once had a feudal system that was based on a lack of rights. The idea of Parliament making laws of workplace safety, public health, and public education is a radical step considering how the country began. France too had laws regarding health in 1900, and keep in mind that only 120 years earlier the country was an absolute monarchy!

Is there hope? Can there be change? Perhaps, if you look at India and New Guinea as examples. India has long since given up the suti, where the widow is cremated with the husband, and New Guinea's people are no longer cannibals. India's caste system is slowly fading away, and in Europe, age-old class barriers are disappearing too.

I'll give Professor Donnelly kudos for going into the history of rights. But I would welcome some illustrations, perhaps some pictures of the people involved, and a few maps would be welcome (Human Rights have a lot to do with nationality.) Other than that, the book is wonderful. It would make a great documentary.