Universality
Welcome
Having surveyed the range of human rights protected by international law, both civil and political and economic and social rights, we now return to a problem we touched on in Module One. What does it mean to say we hold rights as “humans”? Can specific rights – to equality, to privacy, or to free expression – be the same for everyone, regardless of their particular social, political, religious and/or cultural context? This Module will explore that question.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:
- explain what “universality” means in the human rights context;
- present arguments on both sides of the universality debate;
- describe how international law protects women’s rights; and
- describe the scope of protection for LGBT rights under international law.