Global Societies - Term Paper Example

Global societies A. Human rights Human Rights I Human rights, as a concept, can be explained using different approaches: a) Pragmatic approach; it is commonly used in US for justifying actions that would be otherwise considered as violating law. This approach is based on the view that when violating the human rights an individual has always the right to achieve a compromise avoiding conflict (Haule 2006, p.380), b) the Semantic approach; it focuses on the initial reason of the concept’s introduction, i.e. to the need for the protection of the rights of humans. This approach is used for showing the relationship between two concepts: the right and the freedom (Haule 2006, p.381); c) the Normative approach; it aims to highlight the relationship between human rights and ethics/ morality. Human Rights II Social problems related to human rights: a) oppression, b) slavery, c) conflict, d) war and e) genocide (Haule 2006, p.380). In the above cases the reference to human rights is used for justifying intervention, i.e. the development of measures for controlling the expansion of the problem or for resolving the problem. Other social problems, such as unemployment/ unfair compensation for labour, could be also related to human rights but, usually, at an individual level and not at the level of population or of social groups with specific characteristics. Human Rights III Areas where the use of human rights is imperative: a) biomedicine (the expansion of biomedicine worldwide leads to the need for the introduction of a set of rules on which the practices of biomedicine will be based; human rights can be considered as such set of rules) (Andorno 2009, p.11); b) when controlling the practices of multinationals (Anderson 2000, p.463); in 1990s in Burma the activities of Multinationals for the development of the rail network led to the death of more than 100,000 people/ laborers (Anderson 2000, p.465); c) in labour (Ayton-Shenker 1995, par.2); in such case, human rights can be used either at national or at international level; d) in social/ family life (Ayton-Shenker 1995, par.2); in poor/ developing countries the use of human rights is critical for protecting weaker members of the family since the existing laws are usually unable to offer full cover to these parts of the population; Human Rights IV Social and scientific areas that interact with human rights: a) Culture (culture can help disadvantaged people to feel equal members of the society), Ayton-Shenker 1995, p.3, b) Urbanisation; ignoring human rights when developing the plans of a city, city planners cause unsustainable urbanization (UN 2012, par.5); c) Technology; technological advances are quite important for improving the conditions of daily life; however, often technology leads to violations of human rights, as for example, when medical records stored in a database are accessed with no authorization; in other cases, technology help to the protection of human rights (MIT Center for Civic Media, 2012, par.2); for example, in developing countries mobile phones and Internet are used by volunteers for reporting cases of violation of human rights (MIT Center for Civic Media, 2012, par.4); d) Media; media is able to affect the views of people in regard to morals; moreover, through the media people are informed in regard to various aspects/ events of daily life; thus, through the media people can change their perceptions on human rights or their belief that the use of human rights in a particular conflict is imperative (Asemah, 2013, p.48); e) Colonialism; human rights has been introduced in developing countries, ex-colonies, in order to show the good intentions of the ex-occupiers; however, in practice, in these countries the social life is similar to that of the period of colonialism (Eckel 2010, p.111). Human Rights V - Slavery Slavery is the most critical example of violation of human rights. This view is verified through the following facts: a) In Andhra Pradesh, India, there are thousands of people, even whole families, who work in conditions similar to slaves (Hawksley 2014, par.1); the specific site is used for the production of bricks; the work conditions of these people have been considered as a violation of human rights; India has been asked by foreign governments and organizations to explain the terms under which this site operates and to take measures for the termination of the unlawful employment of people in the particular site on the basis that the work conditions there violate the international human rights, as related to international labour law (Hawksley 2014); b) according to statistics released by the International Labour Organization the number of people who face violation of their rights in work is estimated to 20.9 million (Varia 2013, par.5) Human rights VI – Violations of human rights in practice Cleveland case: three women who were considered as missing for about 10 years were found alive in a house in Cleveland; one of them, Amanda Berry, managed to exit the house where she was kept captive, along with the other two women, and started to scream; a neighbour who heard her rushed and gave her his mobile phone; Amanda called the police and gave details of her identity and the place where she was kept captive. At that time, the kidnapper was not at home. The police arrived shortly and released Amanda and the other two women. Amanda Berry was kidnapped in 2003 and was then 16 years old, Georgina DeJesus was kidnapped in 2004 and was 14 years old; Michelle Knight was also kidnapped in 2003 and was then 21 years old. Kids were also found in the property (Malkin 2013). The impressive detail of the story is that the neighbours had no idea of the existence of the three women within the house of Ariel Castro, the kidnapper. Not only this but ‘the daughter of kidnapper visited him regularly, with his grandchildren’ (Malkin 2013), giving to the neighbour the sense that everything is fine. London case: In November 2013 three women were found in a collective in London after being missing for about 30 years; the women were of different nationality, British, Irish and Malaysian accordingly. Police authorities were informed on the place were the women were held captive after one of the women, the Irish woman, managed to get access to a phone and called an organization, the Freedom Charity giving them details on the whole story. The three women have been set under intensive psychological support since they have been diagnosed with critical psychological trauma because of their experience. In this case, the victims had suffered not only physical abuse but also emotional abuse. Two persons, a man of 73 years old and a woman of 67 years old, have been arrested (BBC News 2013). Vienna case: Natascha Kampusch was kidnapped in 1998 on her way to school; then she was 10 years old. The kidnapper had transformed a garage into a bedroom; the safety measures were extensive and there was no way for the young girl to escape. In 2006 Natascha managed to exit the garage/ prison and spoke to a neighbour who called the police. The kidnapper escaped when the police arrived; then, he killed himself before he gets arrested (Harding 2006). B. Moral values Moral values I Moral values: it is a term used for showing the beliefs on ethical behaviour as these beliefs are acquired in childhood (Chmielewski, 2004, par.9); this means that at individual level moral values are quite difficult to be changed; at the level of society moral values can change under the influence of media and technology. Another characteristic of moral values is that they can be influenced by media but also by the technology; for example, the freedom in accessing sites in Internet has led to the decrease of morality at social level, since actions that have been strictly forbidden in the past are now presented as socially justified (Quodlibet Journal 2004, par.1) Also, moral values can be influenced by the cultural environment of each individual (Quodlibet Journal 2004, par.2) Moral values II Moral values are narrower than culture; actually moral values are elements of culture. Other elements of culture are: norms, ethics and so on (Arisi 2013, p.249). Moral values set the basis on which a culture is based; however, the level of moral values incorporated in each culture can be differentiated (Arisi 2013, p.249). Still moral values and culture have a different mission/ scope: moral values aim to show to the people their priorities in life while culture denotes a specific lifestyle, as related to the history of a group of people (Quodlibet Journal, 2004) Moral values III Moral values and urbanization: In urban areas a series of crimes are usually developed, such as robberies, attacks and so on (Cardozo 2011, par.5) In urban areas there is no feeling of brotherhood, such as in rural areas; at the same time, friendship in urban areas is often different from that in rural areas (Cardozo 2011, par.5). The living in a city leads people to become less friendly, a behaviour that it is partially justified if taking into consideration the living conditions and the dangers involved in cities. Moral values and mass media: Mass media affects the perceptions of people on good and bad; therefore, mass media can also influence the moral values of people (Richards 2010, par.1). The problem is higher among young people who tend to absorb any social trend without much thinking; Thus, the moral values of young people are easier to be changed compared to those of elderly (Richards 2010, par.2) Moral values IV Moral values and technology (Maner 1996): Through the expansion of Internet people have been able to access sites that are against the moral ethics; therefore, technology has contributed in the violation/ limitation of moral values Using technology people can access the private data of others; in this case, technology is made a tool for violating the moral values Moral values and colonialism (Majumdar, 2014): People in colonies had not the right or the power to defend their moral values; from this point of view colonialism has been a severe threat to moral values Long – term colonization has led to the transformation of a population’s moral values; therefore, technology has been used as a tool for altering moral values or for adjusting local moral values with those of the occupier Moral values V – violation of moral values – cases Amstetten (Austria) case: this story has shocked the public due to its brutality. A girl from Austria was get locked by her father for about 24 years; during all this period the girl was abused; about 7 children were born. The young girl, Elizabeth, lived locked in the cellar of the house since 1984 and had no chance to escape. The review of the case by the police officers revealed that Elizabeth was abused by her father since the age of 11 years. The story was revealed after one of the children was severely ill and had to be taken to the hospital; there, the child revealed the story to the medical staff who called the police (Paterson 2008). The above story indicates the potential lack of moral values in the family environment. Calcutta case: this case refers to the story of an Indian young girl who suffered rape by gangs in October of 2013; after reporting the events to the police the young girl was raped again; on December the young girl was found burned; her condition was extremely severe and was finally died (BBC News 2014). People across India have developed manifestations for the way the authorities treated the case. The story reveals the lack of moral values in the social environment. C. Individual entitlements Individual entitlements I Definition of individual entitlements: “the set of alternative commodity bundles that a person can command in a society using the totality of rights and opportunities that he or she faces’ (Sen 1984, p.497, in Devereux 2001, p.246) Individual entitlements have the following characteristics (Emmons 2013): A. They are protected by law; however, the individual entitlements protected by law are not similar in countries internationally B. They are not standardized; this means that rights that are considered as individual entitlements in a region may not be considered as such in another region, under the influence of local regulatory system but also of the local culture, traditions and beliefs C. They are not fully depended on morals; individual entitlements are not necessarily aligned with morals; for example the right to shoot against a robber which is considered as individual entitlement in US law is not considered a lawful action in the countries of Civil law Individual entitlements II Individual entitlements are related to the following challenges (Bunting 2009): A. People, in their high majority, are not aware of the actual content and role o individual entitlements; as a result, they often believe that they are protected by law in regard to their rights/ individual entitlements while there is no such case. B. The process for securing individual entitlements can be complex and long; in many cases, individual entitlements are secured through Court decisions. Still, there are many cases in which the implementation of a plan for sustainable development has been led to a failure because of the lack of communication. C. By their nature, individual entitlements are related to the interests of persons, as individual units; therefore, they are more difficult to be protected since they do not refer to public interest; still, the violation of individual entitlements of a group(s) of persons can be considered as threatening the public interest and safety. Individual entitlements III Individual entitlements and urbanization (Jericho, 2014): a) Urbanization has led to the increase of the need for individual entitlements, b) Urbanization has threaten individual entitlements; in a highly populated city it is difficult for individuals to secure their entitlements; c) when referring to urban areas, individual entitlements often denote the property rights ignoring the other rights of the individuals Individual entitlements and mass media (Meek 2014): a) Mass media can show modes of individual entitlements that do not exist in a specific society; in other words, mass media can act as a means for introducing new individual entitlements, b) through Mass media people can develop a false perception on individual entitlements, either in regard to the content of these entitlements or in regard to their role Individual entitlements IV Individual entitlements and technology (Prins, 2006): a) using technology, especially Internet, people can be informed on the various aspects of their individual entitlements, so that they are able to protect them, b) using relevant technology a person can access the private data of another person; technology can help towards the violation of individual entitlements Individual entitlements and colonialism (Pfefferle, 2007): a) in regions that have been occupied for a long time individual entitlements have been fully aligned with those of the occupiers; b) in such regions, certain individual entitlements have been eliminated, as threatening the interests of the occupiers, c) in poor countries, ex-colonies, there is no independent framework of individual entitlements; in these countries the specific entitlements are still controlled by the occupiers Individual entitlements V – Irish travelers The recognition of Irish travelers as an ethnic minority has resulted after critical efforts. These people have been recognized as an ethnic minority by the English courts and the Northern Ireland legislation; in the past, the Irish government had avoided to make their position clear in regard to Irish travelers and was only in 2009 that the Irish government released a report where the government’s acceptance of Irish travelers as an ethnic minority could be identified (Human Rights in Ireland in 2010). Irish travelers have to face important problems in regard to all the aspects of their daily life; this fact has led to the radical increase of suicide rates among this group of people (Hennessy 2013). The funds that have been received by organizations for the support of Irish Travelers have not reached these people due to bad management (Hennessy 2013). Also, the support even from their members can be limited since after entering the workplace Irish Travelers are not allowed to provide support to other people of their community (Hennessy 2013). The research developed at European level has revealed that Irish travelers face important barriers to enter education, being enforced to abandon school if they manage to be accepted (Council of Europe 2013). The housing problems of Irish travelers are also extensive: many Irish travelers families have to live in sites that are dangerous and inappropriate for living (Council of Europe 2013). These problems cannot easily be addressed since Irish travelers also face barriers in their effort to enter the workplace (Hennessy 2013). The case of Irish travelers proves that discrimination in regard to individual entitlements can be quite difficult to be addressed. References list Anderson, J., 2000. “RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS: MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS STRIKE OUT.” U.P.A. Journal of Labor and Employment Law, Vol2, Issue 3, pp.463- Available at https://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jbl/articles/volume2/issue3/Anderson2U.Pa.J.Lab.&Emp.L.463%282000%29.pdf Andorno, R., 2009. “Human dignity and human rights as a common ground for a global bioethics.” Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, pp.1-15. Available at http://www.unesco.org.uy/ci/fileadmin/shs/redbioetica/dignidad_Andorno.pdf Arisi, R., 2013. “Culture and Moral Values for Sustainable National Development: The Role of Social Studies Education.” International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 247-254 Asemah, E., Edegoh, L. and Ogwo, C., 2013. “Employing the Mass Media for the Promotion of Human Rights in Nigeria.” An International Multidisciplinary Journal, Ethiopia, Vol. 7 (1), Serial No. 28, pp.:47-60 Ayton-Shenker, D., 1995. “The Challenge of Human Rights and Cultural Diversity.” United Nations Department of Public Information DPI/1627/HR--March 1995. Available at http://www.un.org/rights/dpi1627e.htm BBC News, 2013. “London slavery case women met in collective” Nov 23, 2013. Available at http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25068525 BBC News, 2014. “Indian media: Outrage over Calcutta gang rape.” Jan 2, 2014. Available at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-25572946 Bunting, M., 2009. “The Age of Entitlement lies rotting. Its polluted patrons can lead us no more.” May 17, 2009. The Guardian. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/17/expenses-mps-bankers-climate-change Cardozo, T., 2011. “The impact of Urbanization.” April 3, 2011. The Navhind Times. Available at http://www.navhindtimes.in/panorama/impact-urbanisation Chmielewski, C., (2004).The Importance of Values and Culture in Ethical Decision Making.Retrieved -insert todays date- from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Values-and-culture-in-ethical-decision-making.aspx Council of Europe, 2013. “New report highlights Irish Travellers education disadvantage.” April 19, 2013. Human Rights Europe. Available at http://www.humanrightseurope.org/2013/04/new-report-highlights-education-problems-among-irish-travellers/ Devereux, S., 2001. Sen’s Entitlement Approach: Critiques and Counter-critiques. Oxford Development Studies, Vol 29, No 3, pp.245. Available at http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dludden/FamineMortality.pdf Eberstadt, N., 2012. “Are Entitlements Corrupting Us? Yes, American Character Is at Stake.” Aug 31, 2012. The Wall Street Journal. Available at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444914904577619671931313542 Eckel, J., 2010. “Human Rights and Decolonization: New Perspectives and Open Questions.” Humanity, Fall 2010, pp.111-135 Emmons, R., 2013. “What Must We Overcome as a Culture or as Individuals For Gratitude to Flourish?” Nov 11, 2013. Big Questions Online. Available at https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/what-must-we-overcome-culture-or-individuals-gratitude-flourish Haule, R., 2006. “Some Reflections on the Foundation of Human Rights – Are Human Rights an Alternative to Moral Values?” Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, Volume 10, p. 367-395. Available at http://www.mpil.de/files/pdf3/08_romuald1.pdf Harding, L., 2006. “Kidnapped at 10 and held for eight years. The girl in the cellar.” The Guardian. Aug 25, 2006. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/aug/25/austria.topstories3 Hawksley, H., 2014. “Why Indias brick kiln workers live like slaves” Jan 2, 2014. Available at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-25556965 Hennessy, M., 2013. “Irish Travellers leader warns of a direct action campaign to come.” The Irish Times. Available at http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-travellers-leader-warns-of-a-direct-action-campaign-to-come-1.1595479 Human Rights in Ireland, 2010. “Travellers as an Ethnic Minority.” Irish Traveller Movement. Available at http://itmtrav.ie/keyissues/myview/98 Jericho, G., 2014. An age of entitlement? Not quite. Feb 5, 2014. Available at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-05/jericho-not-the-age-of-entitlement/5237916 Majumdar, S., 2014. “Laws mirror moral values of colonial era, not SRHR reality!” Jan 27, 2014. Scoop Independent News. Available at http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1401/S00068/india-laws-mirror-moral-values-of-colonial-era.htm Malkin, B., 2013. “US women abducted ten years ago found alive.” May 7, 2013. The Telegraph. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10040536/US-women-abducted-ten-years-ago-found-alive.html Maner, W., 1996. “UNIQUE ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.” Science and Engineering Ethics, volume 2, Number 2 (April, 1996), pages 137-154. Available at http://faculty.usfsp.edu/gkearns/articles_fraud/computer_ethics.pdf Meek, J. 2014. “MEEK: Buck entitlement culture and you’re out.” Jan 31, 2014. The Chronicle, Herald. Available at http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1183462-meek-buck-entitlement-culture-and-you-re-out MIT Center for Civic Media, 2012. “Technology and Human Rights.” June 9, 2012. Available at http://civic.mit.edu/blog/mstem/technology-and-human-rights Paterson, T., 2008. “Austrian locked up daughter for 24 years and fathered seven children with her.” The Independent. Available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/austrian-locked-up-daughter-for-24-years-and-fathered-seven-children-with-her-816632.html Pfefferle, B., 2007. “The Indefensibility of Post-Colonial Aboriginal Rights. Saskatchewan Law Review, 70, pp.393-423. Available at http://people.stfx.ca/x2010/x2010mbm/Devs%20401%20Term%20Paper/Devs%20401%20Ref%20-%20The-Indefensibility-of-Post-Colonial-Aboriginal-Rights.pdf Prins, C., 2006. "When personal data, behavior and virtual identities become a commodity: Would a property rights approach matter?", (2006) 3:4 SCRIPTed 270. Available at http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrc/script-ed/vol3-4/prins.asp Quodlibet Journal, 2004. “Do Objective Moral Standards Exist in the World Today?” Quodlibet Journal, Vol. 6 Number 3, July - September 2004. Available at http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/johnson-morality.shtml Richards, M., 2010. “Mass Media’s Relationships with Adoloscents’ Values and Behaviors: A Theory of Mediated Valueflection.” Georgia State University. Sociology Dissertations, pp.1-130. Available at http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=sociology_diss United Nations, 2002. “Human Rights Approaches to Sustainable Development.” United Nations Roundup 90, May 2002. Available at http://www.un-ngls.org/orf/pdf/ru90hrsd.pdf United Nations, 2012. “Urbanization without human rights, a recipe for failure.” United Nations Human Rights. Available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/UNWorldHabitatDay.aspx Varia, N., 2013. “Labor Rights for All: The Fight Against Modern-Day Slavery.” Nov 6, 2013. Human Rights Watch. Available at http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/11/06/labor-rights-all-fight-against-modern-day-slavery Read More