Development and promotion of human rights instruments all over the world is one action undertaken in achievement of this aim. Sharma (1998) argued that human rights instruments presented hope that the basic human needs would be met on earth (as cited in Desai, 2013, p. 174). The concept of human rights evolution can be traced to the roots of western society. Code of Hammurabi is one document that first laws that bind society members giving rise to human rights evolution can be traced to. The history of human beings have derived and defined human rights.
It is defined in the human rights terminology which define rights categories as ‘generations’. This word denotes time and age in which human rights is identified and defined. It also means that human rights are “generated” by a set of social, cultural, economic and political conditions at the places of work in a society (Reardon, 2011). These generations of human rights provides a framework for reflecting on position of social work practice within the agenda of human rights. Ife (2012) identified three ‘generations’ of human rights.
The first generation is civic and political rights, second generation is economic, social and cultural rights, and third generation is collective rights. The distinction between the first and second category of human rights coincides with distinction between rights of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ nature. Civic and political rights enter as negative rights which are generally seen as needing protection against abuse (Ife, 2006). Economic, social and cultural rights (positive rights) need positive action on behalf of civil society or state for attainment and realization of those rights.
Example is the provision of education, social security, housing and health. Addition of collective rights as third ‘generation’ was as a result of a need to acknowledge the essential individualism in the manner in which first and second generations of human rights have been created. Additionally, it is also as a result for a need to incorporate more collective understandings of rights (Ife, 2006). The three ‘generations’ of human rights have become a useful instruments for conceptualising rights.
Furthermore, they have assisted in extending the notion of human rights beyond the narrow western liberal creation. It is of importance to note at this point that the three ‘generations’ of human rights roughly corresponds to the three French Revolution ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity (Ife, 2012). It provides useful framework for discussion of social work practice that applies across all three generations. The period around Enlightenment and rise of liberalism is when the first generation rights emerged.
Nineteenth and twentieth centuries socialism and social democracy is the origin of second generation rights. Third generation of human rights emerged during the twentieth century and it is associated with economic sustainability, environmental issues and colonial peoples’ concerns (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2005). The first generation of human rights normally referred to as civic and political rights are considered to be fundamental to achievement of fair and effective civil society and democracy.
The rights that are included in this group include right to vote, right to citizenship, a fair trial, privacy, freedom of speech and religious affiliation. In addition, free from discrimination, torture and discrimination, right to treatment with dignity and being safe in public places are also included in this category. The focus of first generation of human rights seems to focus on prevention of abuses and protection of rights rather than as a matter of achievement or granting of these rights.
Chenoweth and McAuliffe (2005) contend that prevention of abuse usually rests with legal processes and governments in practice. Economic, cultural and social rights are the second generation of rights. The examples of rights in this category include granting of employment or fair wage, receiving of basic provisions such as shelter, food or housing.
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