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Many examples of human rights violations can be found in the United States.

This article will introduce human rights violations in the United States, with　some examples.

Other explanations will include the definition of human rights and future efforts to avoid human rights violations.

By understanding the examples of human rights violations, we can help to create a society where there is no discrimination for anyone.

Definition of human rights

Human rights are defined as follows :

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.

Reference : “Human Rights – United Nations”

In addition, in order to deepen the understanding of human rights, it is necessary to understand the following two items.

• International human rights law
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Each of these items will be explained below.

International Human Rights Law

International human rights law is a general term for laws and regulations that guarantee human rights, referring to specific ways of acting to promote and protect the fundamental freedoms of each human being.

In addition to documented human rights treaties, it includes a variety of things such as UN resolutions and operational status by governments.

Moreover, international human rights law has been established as an obligation of governments.

In fact, several treaties have been concluded under the initiative of the United Nations, and we can say that we would like to reaffirm our awareness of human rights.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets forth the principles of fundamental human rights and is an international set of standards for human rights.

The following rights that human beings have can be incorporated into the constitutions and laws of each country.

• Civil Rights
• Political rights
• Economic rights
• Social rights
• Cultural rights

As mentioned above, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has a strong influence on countries around the world.

Specifically, human rights are defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as follows

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Reference : “Universal Declaration of Human Rights -United Nations”

What are human rights violations?

Human rights violations are seen as a major international problem.

Basically, in order to reduce the problem of human rights violations, each one of us needs to be considerate of others and act accordingly.

Specifically, the following two items should be understood as human rights violations.

• The ten basic human rights violations
• Violation of economic, social and cultural rights

Ten Basic Human Rights

The following ten basic human rights are what every individual should know.

• The right to be free from torture
• The right to be treated with equality
• The right to asylum
• The right to marry/li>
• The right to freedom of thought, opinion, and expression
• The right to work
• The right to education
• The right to social welfare
• The right to life
• The right to privacy

As mentioned above, human rights have as a common standard for people all over the world.

Also, every year, December 10th is observed as Human Rights Day, and it is monitored by the international community to ensure that there is no human rights violations.

Violations of economic, social and cultural rights

Violations of economic, social and cultural rights were issued by the Optional Protocol of 1976, and the Optional Protocol has been adopted by 1989.

The human rights that it specifically seeks to promote and protect include economic, social and cultural rights.

• The right to work under fair and favorable conditions
• The right to social protection, an adequate standard of living, and the highest attainable standard of physical and mental well-being.
• The right to education and to enjoy the benefits of cultural freedom and scientific progress.

In order to prevent human rights violations, it is important to understand and promote the content of the rights guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Examples of human rights violations in the United States

The main examples of human rights violations in the United States are as follows

• Criminal legal system
• Racial discrimination
• Poverty and inequality
• Gender identity rights
• Environment and human rights

As mentioned above, the US, as well as other countries around the world, are facing risks of human rights violations.

Here are some examples of human rights violations in each of the United States.

Criminal legal system

There have been incidents involving human rights violations in which white police officers killed black people who were being questioned.

In fact, a higher percentage of blacks than whites are intentionally arrested and abused by police in the United States.

According to data from the Washington Post, approximately 1,000 people were recorded to have been killed in police shootings between 2015 and 2020, which is considered as a major problem within the United States.

In order to reduce discrimination against blacks in the United States, it would be necessary to review the criminal legal system, not to mention the education of police officers.

Racial discrimination

Some areas of the U.S. as well as the state of California have problems with racial discrimination against the following racial and ethnic minorities

• Black people
• Latino people
• American Indian people

They also face severe economic disparities that increase the risk of death from infectious and epidemic diseases.

From the past, some parts of the United States and the state of California have been raising problems with human rights violations. Also, there has been recognition of the problem in the United States.

In order to solve problems like this, various compensation are considered, and Human Rights Watch is involved in a wide range of activities related to human rights protection.

Poverty and Inequality

It can be said that the U.S. is experiencing fewer problems related to poverty and inequality than before, but the problem of human rights violations of poverty and inequality has not been solved.

Specifically, Article 23.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights defines workers’ rights as follows

1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Reference : “Universal Declaration of Human Rights – United Nations”

It can be said that they are facing various problems such as decrease in health insurance and loss of jobs.

However, for those who have problems with poverty, unemployment protection and relief packages can help prevent the increase in poverty rates, and also reaffirm human rights issues.

Gender Identity Rights

At least 28 transgender people have been murdered in the US in 2020.

In response to these problems, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination in employment are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of gender identity.

It has also succeeded in reducing prejudice against LGBT and other groups as well as transgender people.

Environment and Human Rights

In the U.S., many health problems can be cited due to air pollution caused by industry and transportation.

There is also the problem of the use of pesticides, which have been shown to have adverse effects on health.

In fact, the U.S. is treated as an international problem as the world’s second largest non-source country of greenhouse gases.

The environment, like human rights, needs to be taken into consideration so that each and every one of us can live with peace of mind.

Future efforts to avoid human rights violations

In the U.S., many issues of human rights violations remain, such as women, racial discrimination, the elderly, children, and the disabled.

Regarding future efforts to address the issue of human rights violations, it is important to respect one’s own human rights as well as the human rights of others.

It is also necessary to deepen our understanding of human rights violations, as new human rights issues may arise due to today’s diverse society.