Human Rights
I agree that human rights do not lend themselves to neat formulae. The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR) aims at guarding the interest of people residing in different countries. However, the
political and cultural environment of a country would shape these rights. Some of the rights the essay
would be discussing are the equality of the sexes, right to freedom of speech and education.
Contrary to the West, women in Asia are often exploited and deprived of their rights in many
areas, particularly in employment. This phenomenon can be attributed to the tradition and cultural
differences between the two. Despite the influence of the west brought about by industrialization, the Asian
Society is still rather conservative and very much in touch with the teachings of Confucius. Even till today,
they are unable to completely abandon the concept of women being the weaker sex. Although the UDHR
proclaims, "Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work." (UN, 1948,
Article 23 (2)), it is not uncommon to hear that women are paid lower than men are. Women accept the fact
that they are weaker as compared to men in terms of work in this male dominated society. They are taught
to be submissive and regard their family as the top most priority in their childhood. Moreover, employers
believe that women are home bounded and contributions to t!
he company would be minimal as they work fewer days, in comparison to men, due to the entitlement of
their maternity leaves. In the eyes of the west, this would be a violation of human rights but to an Asian, a
cultural difference.
"Everyone has the right to education." (UN, 1948, Article 26 (1)) does not hold in Asian context.
Every American child is endowing with the right of education but receiving education is a form of luxury
to the unfortunate Asian children. Most Asian countries are agricultural based and childre...