The Category of Human Rights

1. Political Rights –  political rights are very important. Almost everyone needs and
wants to be a part of the human society. It is possible only with civil and political rights.
The State is the main body which is responsible for the promotion and protection of civil
and political rights. The promotion of civil and political rights guarantees the public
order. Without the public order a community or section of a community find themselves
exposed to organize and commit murders, rapes, other acts involving violation of those
fundamental rights necessary for safety of the individual and the country.
Example:
In a democratic state every citizen is also given the right to get elected to any
public office. He can get elected to a legislature, or municipal corporation/ municipal
committee or panchayat and work as its member. Some qualifications are however
fixed for seeking election.
 Right to vote
 Right to Hold Public Office
 Right to Petition
 Right to Criticize
 Right to Oppose the Government
2. Democratic Rights – It seems to me that democracy is merely a means for
empowering government by the expression of support of an “authorized” voter.
Depending on where you are, the approach to democracy varies in terms of frequency,
approach, and who may, or may not, participate. So, there are no democratic “rights”
per se. The right to vote is bestowed only upon those authorized by law. A nation may
have laws without democracy, but it cannot have democracy without laws. Democracy
is the means whereby authorized voters express their opinions on government. Laws
bestow rights. No laws; no rights. Democracy is a tool for changing laws, not the
embodiment of law or the rights expressed by them.
Example:
 Democratic Rights of Citizen
 Maximum Duration of Legislative Bodies
 Continuation in Special Circumstances
 Annual Sitting of Legislative Bodies.
3. Mobility Rights –Filipino citizens have the right to enter, remain in, and leave
Philippines. Filipino citizens and permanent residents have the right to live or seek work
anywhere in Canada. Governments in Philippines can't discriminate based on what
province someone used to live or currently lives in.
Example:
• Mobility rights in relation to extradition
• the right to a passport
• the International Transfer of Offenders Act (ITOA)
• the right to inter-provincial mobility
• The right to move to and take up residence in any province
• The right to pursue the gaining of a livelihood in any province
4. Right to life, Liberty, and Security of a Person – it is made up of three distinct
but strongly interconnected elements. The right to life is the supreme right of human
beings. The right to liberty may be invoked in respect of all deprivations of liberty,
whether arising in relation to the application of criminal law or by reason of mental
illness, vagrancy, drug addiction or immigration control. The right to security of the
person protects physical integrity, which has traditionally taken the narrow focus of
protection from direct physical trauma.
Example:
• the right not to be deprived of liberty except on such grounds and in accordance
with such procedures as are established by law
• the right not to be arbitrarily arrested, detained or exiled
• the right to be secure from unreasonable search and seizure, including of the
person
• the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.
5. Legal Rights – Legal rights is different from a moral or natural right in the sense that
it is recognized & protected by law, whereas the latter may/may not be recognized &
protected by law. Legal rights are equally available to all the citizens without the
discrimination of caste, creed & sex.
Example:

 Perfect & Imperfect Rights

 Positive & Negative Rights

 Real & Personal Rights

 Proprietary & Personal Rights

 Public & Private Rights

 Inheritable & Uninheritable Rights

6. Right of Equality – By equality, we generally mean that all men are equal and all
should be entitled to identity of treatment and income. “Men are born, and always
continue, free and equal in respect of their rights”. We hold these truths to be self-
evident that all men are created equal”. But in practical life this is not true. No two men
are similar in physical constitution, capacity and temperament.

Example:

• Social Equality.
• Civil Equality.
• Political Equality
• Economic Equality
• Equality of Opportunity and Education

7. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Human rights law includes all economic
and social rights, as well as civil and political rights like the right to free speech and the
right to a fair trial. Its include the human right to work, the right to an adequate
standard of living, including food, clothing, and housing, the right to physical and
mental health, the right to social security, the right to a healthy environment, and the
right to education.  Similarly, the right to work means little if you are not allowed to
meet and assemble in groups to discuss work conditions.

Example:

• The right to education guarantees free and compulsory primary education and
equal access to secondary and higher education.
• The right to health guarantees access to adequate health care, nutrition,
sanitation, and to clean water and air.
• The right to housing guarantees access to a safe, habitable, and affordable home
with protection against forced eviction.
• The right to food guarantees the ability of people to feed themselves, and also
obligates states to cooperate in the equitable distribution of world food supplies.
• The right to work guarantees the opportunity to earn a living wage in a safe
work environment, and also provides for the freedom to organize and bargain
collectively.

8. Workers’ Rights - The right to work is a foundation for the realization of other
human rights and for life with dignity. It includes the opportunity to earn a livelihood by
work freely chosen or accepted. In progressively realizing this right, States are obliged
to ensure the availability of technical and vocational guidance, and take appropriate
measures to develop an enabling environment for productive employment
opportunities.
Example:

 Availability. States must ensure the existence of tailored services to help

people to identify employment opportunities and find work.
 Accessibility. Access to work involves three key elements: non-discrimination,
physical accessibility, and information accessibility. Discrimination in access to
and continuation of employment is prohibited. States must ensure that
reasonable accommodation is made so that work places are physically accessible,
particularly for persons with physical disabilities. Everyone has the right to seek,
obtain and impart information on employment opportunities.
 Acceptability and quality. The right to work comprises several interrelated
components, including the right to choose and accept work freely, just and
favorable conditions of work, safe working conditions, and the right to form trade
unions.

9. Aboriginal Rights - improved drastically since 1945 with many changes to

government policy, cultural views and legal rules to bring about a change from
oppression to equality. Unfortunately, on the other hand, some rights and freedoms have
not improved at all or have even worsened. Firstly, the change in legal and constitutional
rights have been a great creator of rights for the Aboriginal people.

Example:

• rights to the land

• rights to subsistence resources and activities
• right to self-determination and self-government
• right to practice one's own culture and customs including language and religion.
10. Reproductive Rights - rooted in basic human rights and are important to health,
particularly for women.  Reproductive rights are instrumental to achieving population,
health, and development goals, they are also important in themselves as human rights
intended to protect the inherent dignity of the individual.
Example:
• Rights to reproductive self-determination
• Rights to sexual and reproductive health services, information, and education
• Rights to equality and nondiscrimination.

11. Protective Rights of Persons in Armed Conflicts – Both humanitarian law and
human rights law aim to alleviate human suffering in conflicts, their applicability in the
case of non-international conflicts is problematic – the presented issue of the use of
force against civilians is only one of the numerous examples that could be drawn.
Making those armed groups, who fight for control over human beings on a certain
territory, responsible for conducting this control in accord with universally
acknowledged human rights, is perhaps the necessary step to be taken to ensure
protection of civilian population in their control.

Example:

• the principle of human dignity,

• the principle of non-discrimination,
• the right to life, liberty and security of person,
• the prohibition of slavery or servitude,
• the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.

12. Right of Self-determination- It has a strong appeal. In a nutshell, it gives

peoples a free choice which allows them to determine their own destiny.7 Traditionally,
a distinction has been made between external and internal self-determination.
However, for reasons of international peace and security the right of self-determination
needs to be balanced with the territorial integrity of States. That is why outside the
colonial context, the emphasis must be on the internal aspect of self-determination.

Example:

• The exercise of this right in the past decade has had a dramatic effect on
theories of international organizations, the role of force, and conflict resolution.
Claims of self-determination led in part to the destruction of the former
Yugoslavia, and the specter of secessionist movements has magnified the
attention given to the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples.

13. Minority Group Rights – For the purposes of this contribution with its focus on
the group-specific aspects of minority protection, the term does not encompass
immigrants but includes indigenous peoples which fulfill the relevant criteria. The
preservation of their racial peculiarities, their traditions and their national
characteristics.

Example:

• right to preserve one's culture, tradition, language, religion and customs

• right to educations in the native language
• right to access to media
• right to take part in economic