By David Gallup
“Disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted
in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of humankind.”
Although this statement appears in the Preamble
of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), it could easily apply to
the current plight of the people in Syria, the terrorist acts of heavily armed
fundamentalists against civilian populations, the drug cartel wars, and other ongoing
acts of violence.
As we approach the anniversary of the UDHR on 10
December 2015, are we any closer to the promise of a universal respect for
human rights than we were 67 years ago? Was World War II the height of human
violence, or has violence, in all its forms, continued unabated?(1) What effect
has the UDHR and implementation of human rights in other declarations and
treaties had on violence?
Violence in All Its Forms
Adherence to the human rights enumerated in the UDHR
and various treaties has reduced large-scale armed conflict. Yet violence continues. The international
conflicts in Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, and Syria seem to be reigniting
the Cold War. Civil war and internal conflicts in Yemen, the Democratic
Republic of Congo and among religious and ethnic groups in Afghanistan and Iraq
threaten regional stability. And supranational terrorist violence has overtaken
state upon state violence as a threat to global stability. The threat of
violence by nuclear devices still looms large. It is actually more alarming now
because the iron fist of control over nuclear weapons and material and nuclear
power plants has diminished.
Because the media focuses on large-scale international
and regional aggression, violent acts of armed militias, insurgents, local gangs,
street crime, gun violence, and mental, physical, and economic abuse tend to be
downplayed. Even as traditional warfare wanes, this day-to-day violence takes a
great toll on many people’s lives, yet national governments have not
prioritized dealing with these human rights violations in their political
agendas.
Underlying Causes of Violence
What is causing all of this violence despite the
enumeration of human rights in the Declaration and international treaties such
as the Covenants on Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights?
Although inter-state wars may have reduced(2), the
root causes of violence remain due to the disparity in social, political and
economic conditions that nation-states perpetuate. Because of advances in technology, the
ability to wage violence has been democratized. Now anyone with a cell phone
and a social media account can find recruits for their violent cause. The rise
in individual violence has coincided with the ease of communication and
technological tools that transcend borders.
The nation-state system perpetuates aggression,
entrenching structural violence, by separating us into competing groups. We
compete for resources and advantages over one another rather than work together
and share knowledge. When we cannot fulfill our rights and needs, this leads to
humiliation and deprivation which then leads to violence.
In the past hundred years, humans have made great
strides in the access to and administration of justice around the world.
Properly functioning legal systems allow for individual participation in the
government and for redress when the government fails to respect our rights. In
places where people have no say in their government or face daily oppression
and fear, the likelihood of violent actions dramatically increases.(3)
We must remember that all forms of violence are
illegal under local, national and international law. Violence by citizens
against citizens, by “civilians” against “civilians,” and by “combatants”
against “civilians” are prohibited by local criminal laws, by national
statutes, and by international humanitarian laws, such as the Geneva
Conventions.
Dealing with the Root Causes of Violence
How can respect for human rights reduce violence? What engenders peace?
We need to deal with the root causes of violence(4) by
affirming human rights for everyone, everywhere.
We need to understand that exploitation can be
eliminated by establishing rules of engagement in corporations, governments,
commerce and economics with equality and fair labor practices.
We need to understand that in an interdependent world,
attempting to achieve dominance will only harm all of us in the long run. We need to understand how to use land,
resources and the power to control both in indigenous and sustainable ways. If
one region of the world is doing poorly, then it will affect another region.
We need to understand that we have alternatives to
revenge. People will less feel the need to take violent action when there are
legal forms of redress available to everyone locally, regionally and globally.
We need to understand that our ideology impacts our
way of life. We need to move toward an
earth and human-centered understanding.
The UDHR and the Stemming of Violence
What does the UDHR say about violence? Can law counter
violence?
Article 3 of the UDHR states “Everyone has the right
to life, liberty and security of the person.” All of our other rights depend
upon us being alive, free and safe.
Building capacity in legal institutions, the access to
justice, and participation in government, sharing economic prosperity through
equality of opportunity and outcome in standards of living, and educating about
world citizenship and cultural awareness can reduce and prevent violence in all
communities, local and global. Although the Internet and technology have
democratized violence, they have also democratized peace, providing individuals
and communities with the power to create livingry(5), instead of weaponry.
As we celebrate this anniversary of the Declaration,
let us reconsider the importance of fully implementing the UDHR to deal with sources
of violence. The Declaration’s Preamble
confirms that “it is essential, if (humans are) not be compelled to have
recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that
human rights should be protected by the rule of law.” Aggression and war should no longer be tools
of human interaction, even as “a last resort.”
Violence must no longer be considered useful or even tolerable. To
reduce or eliminate violence as ongoing and acceptable choice, global
institutions of law creation, adjudication and implementation are
required. We need a fully-functioning
World Court of Human Rights and regional human rights systems. We need a World
Police Force that can intervene everywhere in the world regardless of human-made
borders.
Article 28 of the UDHR confirms that “Everyone is
entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms
set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.” That social and international order requires
global institutions of law, which will provide systems and procedures to deal
with violence in all its forms and at every level of human interaction.
The final Article of the Declaration (Article 30),
confirms that no “State, group or person (has) any right to engage in any
activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights
and freedoms” enumerated in the Declaration. We have a legal obligation to
interact peacefully with everyone else, to recognize that violence only destroys
our rights and freedoms.
To achieve a non-violent world, we must consider our
self-perception through the lens of world citizenship and outward action through
the process of world law and government.
_____________________________________________
(1) Violence
due to war and organized crime has reduced according to Human Security Research
Group. http://www.hsrgroup.org/docs/Publications/HSR2013/HSR_2013_Press_Release.pdf
Statistics about violence, however,
do not account for everyday unreported violence nor do they adequately account
for non-lethal violence.
(2) Gleditsch,
K. S. and Pickering, S. (2014), Wars are becoming less frequent: a response to
Harrison and Wolf. The Economic History Review, 67: 214–230
(3) “Access
to justice supports sustainable peace by affording the population a more
attractive alternative to violence in resolving personal and political
disputes.” http://www.usip.org/guiding-principles-stabilization-and-reconstruction-the-web-version/7-rule-law/access-justice
(4) According
to Harvard Psychology Professor Steven Pinker, the four main root causes of
violence are exploitation, dominance, revenge, and ideology. http://edge.org/conversation/mc2011-history-violence-pinker
(5) “Humanity’s
Critical Path: From Weaponry to Livingry” by R. Buckminster Fuller, http://www.designsciencelab.com/resources/HumanitysPath_BF.pdf
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