Social rights and human dignity

Nelson Mandela, a well-known fighter against Apartheid, said at the time that poverty - like slavery - is not a natural state for human society. It can be overcome by the actions of people. And the fight against poverty is not a charity gesture at all. Social rights and their protection are, in fact, a statement of human dignity. And indeed it is. After all, the violation and even non-observance of such rights leads to grave consequences. Here are just a few staggering facts. More than 960 million people go to bed hungry every night, a billion live in slums, and almost a billion and a half does not have access to education. Social rights are not guaranteed for women and children. 20 thousand babies die daily. Every minute a woman dies from complications during childbirth.

Governments and states around the world are building grandiose plans and are executing multibillion-dollar projects. The poorest countries and segments of the population receive humanitarian assistance. However, this is not enough. If we do not take into account that the human rights aspect is needed to solve the poverty problem, the world will remain in place, leaving the most vulnerable to die of hunger. Why there was such situation when social rights practically are invisible?

The main reason is real inequality - even in very rich countries there are whole strata of people who can not get shelter and basic medical care. Many governments say that they do not have enough resources, but in fact they simply do not want to deal with this problem - it is not a priority for them. Socio-economic rights are protected by a special international pact. But most countries ignore their obligations to this document. The international community often refers to this indifferently, unlike those violations of human rights that are associated with political conflicts. In addition, the activities of global financial institutions and corporations often enslave ordinary people, and their demands are not so rarely based on the fact that it is necessary to reduce social payments.

The result of all this is not only death, disease and poverty, but also systematic discrimination. Poor people not only suffer from deprivation of rights - they also live as if in a trap. They are excluded from society, they are not allowed to talk, they are intimidated. Their political rights are also under threat - after all, it is the poor man who is cheap to sell his vote in the elections. Such people constantly feel insecure.

Social rights and their observance is the real way out of the trap for freedom. Only then will the poor be included in a certain social framework. This is the only way to force the authorities to ensure their right to live free from fear and poverty. This respect for human rights requires recognition that every person has the right to live with dignity, provided with access to food, water, medical care, education and a roof over his head. These provisions are contained in a huge number of universal international norms. They not only represent sources of social security rights , but they also give the poor the means to change the existing balance of power that keeps them in poverty.