Increasing effort to create awareness for human rights throughout the world - Research Paper Example

The five oldest written sources that questions the duties, responsibilities and rights of humans include the Quran, Hindu Vedas, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, the Bible and the Analects of Confucius (Flowers n.p). A law that reflects the natural order of the universe is law, which is regarded as the law of natural law according to the Greek tradition of Socrates and Plato. Moreover, the nature is controlled according to the will of the Gods. There exist fundamental differences even today between the natural rights of the past and the human rights for today.

Previously, for instance, it was perfectly normal to keep slaves. However, this argument now counters to the ideas of freedom and equality that we associate with the human rights today (Human Rights: The Pursuit of an Ideal n.p). It was after World War II that the idea of Human Rights emerged stronger. This was because around 6 million Jews were exterminated by Nazi Germany, Sinti and Romani (Gypsies), homosexuals, and persons with disabilities horrified the world. In Nurembeg and Tokyo, trials were held.

Officials who belonged to the defeated countries were punished for commiting war crimes, ‘crimes against peace’, and ‘crimes against humanity’. Hence, this lead the governments to establish the United Nations, The goal behind which is bolstering international peace and preventing conflict. People were so uncertain about their lives, that they would to ensure that nobody would ever again be unjustly denied life, freedom, food, shelter and nationality. It was during the state of the union address of Frankiln Roosevelt, in 1941, that the essence of these emerging human rights principles were captured (Flowers).

The resolution of Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations on the 10th of December 1948. This document of the United Nations is a product of its time. There exists notable