Human Rights the Salvation Army Reflecting on the 70Th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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A publicAtion from the SAlvAtion Army’S INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMISSION AND INTERNATIONAL MORAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES COUNCIL, MARKING THEIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY HUMAN RIGHTS THE SALVATION ARMY REFLECTING ON THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS www.salvationarmy.org/isjc Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 2-3 06/11/2018 22:08 HUMAN RIGHTS THE SALVATION ARMY REFLECTING ON THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 1 06/11/2018 22:08 C opyright © 2018 The General of The Salvation Army ISBN 978-1-911149-79-8 e-book ISBN 978-1-911149-80-4 A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Published by Salvation Books The Salvation Army, International Headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4EH, United Kingdom www.salvationarmy.org Printed and bound in the UK by Page Bros, Norwich F ront cover credit: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, www.standup4humanrights.org Each image illustrates one of the 30 Articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 2 06/11/2018 22:08 CONTENTS F oreword by the General 5 1. A Brief History of Human Rights 6 2. The Development of Human Rights Since 1948 8 3. Current Challenges to Human Rights 12 4. Christian Reflections on Human Rights 16 5. The Way Forward 20 Appendix 1 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 25 Appendix 2 Bibliography and References 31 Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 3 06/11/2018 22:08 Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 4 06/11/2018 22:08 FOREWORD BY THE GENERAL OF THE SALVATION ARMY 2018 is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it is timely for The Salvation Army to take this opportunity to reflect on its understanding of human rights at this important moment in world history. Fifty years ago, in 1968, the United Nations designated it ‘International Human Rights Year’. The Salvation Army marked the 20th anniversary by publishing a book called Human Rights and The Salvation Army, and in 2018 it is important to reaffirm that commitment. As Christians, we believe that every human being is made in the image of God, which imbues each individual with dignity and worth. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an internationally recognised and agreed framework for transferring such a belief into a tangible, measurable and enforceable reality in our world. The challenge is for each country and individual to live up to the Declaration. When we consider current events in our world – the mass migration of refugees and asylum seekers, uncovered historical abuse, the need for campaigns like #metoo, gun and knife crime, human trafficking – this 70th anniversary provides an opportunity to pause, reflect and recommit ourselves to work for a better world where every person is valued, respected and protected. As an international movement we encounter individuals daily who are deprived of the human rights noted in the Declaration. The battle continues and I call upon all who read this publication to personally become a defender of human rights because ours is the voice needing to be heard right now, right where you are. The words of this publication note the discovery and acknowledgement of human rights in the 1940s yet God, through the inspiration of Scripture, created a framework of equality and the value of each person. If history records a rather slow engagement in human rights, may it not be so for the future. Through my influence and yours may we accelerate and champion human rights in every sector of our society. I commend this booklet to you. It is useful for personal study and reflection, for linking to Bible studies in a Christian faith context, and as a basis for engagement with elected officials. Sincerely yours Brian Peddle GENERAL 5 Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 5 06/11/2018 22:08 A BRIEF 1. HIstORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 6 06/11/2018 22:08 1 On 10 December 1948, in Paris, France, Aristotle (Greek), Cicero (Roman), and of the then 58 members of the United Thomas Aquinas (of the medieval Catholic Nations (UN), 48 voted for the Universal natural law tradition). Philosophers Declaration of Human Rights. No country such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and voted against it, eight abstained, and two Francisco Suarez developed the concepts did not vote. Seventy years later, in 2018, of natural law and natural rights further there are 193 UN member states. Global during the Enlightenment of the 18th politics has become more diverse. century. These ideas featured prominently in the American and French Revolutions. World War Two had only recently ended The central idea underpinning natural law when the leaders of the world endorsed and natural rights was that while people the Universal Declaration of Human belong to many different cultures and Rights. In the first half of the 20th different nations, they are united by one century, people endured two world wars. moral order, and rights are part of that They had just experienced the horror universal moral order. of the Holocaust. There was a strong desire for a new world order. Despite the The Universal Declaration of Human desire for change, agreeing the Universal Rights stands upon these foundations. It Declaration of Human Rights was a has been translated into more than 500 colossal task. The world was fractured languages and contains 30 articles.1 Many and unstable. The Iron Curtain had just of them are well known to us today. For come down separating the world into example: eastern and western blocs. Colonialism Article 1: All human beings are born free was collapsing, yet those drafting the and equal in dignity and rights. They are Declaration overwhelmingly came endowed with reason and conscience and from Europe and North America. There should act towards one another in a spirit were nine key people on the drafting of brotherhood. committee. Only one was a woman – Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the liberty and security of person. United States of America. There were no Article 25: Everyone has the right to Africans or South Asians drafting the text a standard of living adequate for the and only one South American. health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, It is important to note that the concept of housing and medical care and necessary human rights was not ‘discovered’ in the social services, and the right to security late 1940s. The Universal Declaration of in the event of unemployment, sickness, Human Rights was based on the concepts disability, widowhood, old age or other of natural law and natural rights. In lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond doing so, those drafting it built on the his control. philosophical tradition of, among others, 1 http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ The Declaration is printed in full as Appendix 1 of this book. 7 Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 7 06/11/2018 22:08 THE 2. DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS SINCE 1948 Human Rights and The Salvation Army UPDATED.indd 8 06/11/2018 22:08 2 Summarising the Universal Declaration called Human Rights and The Salvation of Human Rights, the UN states: ‘Human Army. The then international leader, rights are rights inherent to all human General Frederick Coutts wrote: beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, ‘In Human Rights Year, Salvationists colour, religion, language, or any other are identified with the high ideals of status. We are all equally entitled to our social justice and acceptance as the human rights without discrimination.’2 unchallenged right of every man as stated in the Universal Declaration of The Universal Declaration of Human Human Rights.’4 Rights has proved to be very popular around the world. It has been When he addressed the UN General widely used and endorsed by many Assembly in October 1979, Pope John Paul governments, organisations and people. II defined the Universal Declaration of As the preamble to the Declaration Human Rights as ‘a true milestone on the proclaims, it has become ‘a common path of humanity’s moral progress’.5 standard of achievement for all people and all nations’.3 In the past 70 years, human rights has developed into a multifaceted, Many Christians have seen the comprehensive way of thinking and living.6 complementarity of the Declaration The UN has agreed new treaties that have with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Twenty defined and constantly redefined what years after the adoption of the Universal is meant by human rights. For example, Declaration of Human Rights, the UN the International Covenant on Civil and designated 1968 ‘International Human Political Rights and the International Rights Year’. The Salvation Army marked Covenant on Economic, Social and the 20th anniversary by publishing a book Cultural Rights were signed in 1966. 2 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/whatarehumanrights.aspx 3 http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/