Human rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human rights - Research Paper Example The current international human rights paradigm emerges from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. This supra-national charter focused on the specific principles and goals of international human rights legislation and has served to guide the behavior of nations. (Beitz, 2009) The Declaration lays out the structure of rights system and describes the mechanisms that must exist within institutions. What this means is that a legal system can be understood as a control system which is instrumental in controlling and regulating the actions of its individuals. Yet, there is also an urgent necessity to restrain government in its wielding of power to avoid civil liberty and human rights abuses (Glendon, 2001). Therefore, a mechanism must exist to ensure proper redress within an institution or society to protect this vital but delicate balance. Examples of the fragility of this balance are plentiful. While many societies will agree that for instance freedom of assembly is guarante ed in many situations the government and police have failed to protect this right.