Human Rights Day-December 10th, 2008
On December 10th, 2008, the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was signed into place in the United Nations. This document (commonly known as the UDHR) was pushed for by many countries, but France played a great role in this.
According to the United Nations webpage celebrating Human Rights Day 2008 (http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2008/), René Cassin composed the first draft of the declaration, although Eleanor Roosevelt was “the driving force for the Declaration’s adoption.”
After the French revolution, the French people developed the “Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen” in 1789. Although this document did not grant rights to certain people (namely women and people of color), it was a document that spelled out the inalienable rights that were granted to each individual. You can find it here: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/dudh/1789.asp
In 1946, France declared with a new constitution that women had the same rights and responsibilities as men (the right to work, to belong to a union, the right to vote, etc.) and the new constitution also detailed the rights women had with regard to maternity (health care, money for the child if the parent has none, etc). The constitution of the 4th republic also set out equality under the law regarding race and religion, which was of particular interest in the country and it’s protectorates at the time. (These things are held over on the constitution of the 5th republic when that new constitution was created 12 years later.)
The people of France had been pushing for legislative equal rights for many years for both women and people of color. Unlike in the United States where different rights came at different times (right to vote came earlier than right to maternity leave than right to other things…) the French were able to put everything into one bill and pass it through their congress in 1946. This push in their own country led to the push in the United Nations. As a country that holds a seat in the Security Council and at the time was considered a major power in the world, France held considerable sway in the world and worked hard with Eleanor Roosevelt to draft and pass the UDHR.
Even today though, France is critical of human rights violations around the world (even as rights violations occur within the country’s borders). As current holder of the Presidency of the European Union, France has proposed a Universal Declaration of Rights of Gays and Lesbians recognizing that around the world in more than 100 countries, gays and lesbians can be put in jail for being suspected of being gay and in more than 10, they can be put to death for it. France’s Secretary of State, Rama Yade is a vocal activist for human rights and can often be heard giving a voice to those that do not have one. Le Nouvel Observateur recently featured an article about Secretary Yade’s proposal for the new declaration. You can find it here: http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualites/20080517.OBS4293/?xtmc=depenalisationhomosexualite&xtcr=1
Here is an English article from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4BH7EW20081218
With the United Nations, we celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10th, remembering that the declaration signed 60 years ago has not yet been fully enforced.
If you would like to test your knowledge about the UDHR, while testing your French, Take the Quiz!
Did you learn anything new about the UDHR by taking the quiz? What do you know about this document? Do you know that France has had more than one constitution?
THe point of this article is to shwo that just liek our country in sturggling to recognize human rights in society, so does France. This day represents the right for every person, no matter what race, gender, or ethnicity to be granted universal rights that should be given to them.
One thing I found especially interesting is the criticism of homosexual rights in France. It seems that the country is really having a hard time accepting these tights and bringing them into their culture. In the Untied States, we as a cultulre are struggling on whther to accept these rights into our granted rigths given to everyone. Some seem for it however many are against it. I think with this article we can see that universal rights for everyone matter internationally and the ability for all of us to connect as a world through this day is really powerful.
France’s prominence in the world arena as a pioneer of equal rights (for various groups) demonstrates the admirable level of commitment their culture places on the foundations first set fourth in the“Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen” in 1789.
Also, the fact that they stand out uniquely in the world arena shows the french spirit as unique and particularly forward thinking.
This article shows the commitment that France has in creating equality for those within their country as well as outside of it. Since the “Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen” in 1789 they have been dedicated to creating egalitarianism throughout the world. The French are devoted to giving those without a voice a say in society and the laws passed that govern it.
By Nicole Lunde:
In this case, France has been a powerful leading front in the case of human rights. They have set a precedent which makes it easier for other countries to adopt the same ideals without high levels of resistance. This situation also demonstrates how just one country can stand out on an international spectrum and create change for others to follow. I also found it interesting that the universal declaration was adopted in Paris and now contains 30 articles. Also it’s easy to see what a great influence France had with this movement considering that now 47 countries are members of the Human Rights Council.
Similarly to others who have posted on this article before me, I was struck by just how progressive France has been in it’s recent past, both in regard to the French people managing to have the spectrum of human rights expanded within their own country and by the country’s pioneering efforts for global recognition of human rights. The fact that in France, measures to add to basic rights were pushed through in bundles, not merely one right here or there, also shows a spectrum of acceptance that I had not associated with the French. I should not be one to talk about acceptance and understanding though, for I took the online quiz about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and discovered I am apparently quite uninformed on the subject! I was inspired to search around the internet for info concerning France and human rights then, and did manage to uncover that although France does not yet recognize same-sex marriages, a large issue along with rights of homosexuals, they will honor a same-sex marriage as legal if the couple was wed in a country where their marriage was legal. Again, quite progressive if you think about how strict and unyielding US government has been in this area.
It amazes me how ambitious France is in the human rights arena. I think many other countries would be wise to look to France for guidance in this area. I agree with Maureen, the US does seem quite strict in comparison to the French government…especially in the area of homosexuality (same-sex marriage). France has been a trail blazer in other aspects of policy making. This is a different subject entirely maybe, but I have recently learned France abolished the death penalty over a decade ago. France definitely sets a great example for other countries, I’m sure we will see the impact France’s decisions have on other areas of the world.