Introduction
Although the very concept of human rights has been in the air almost since ancient Europe, its active development and application began only recently. Having started active development during the Renaissance, medieval thinkers began to return to the idea of endowing a person with unconditional rights. In modern times, civilization has come to the idea that human rights are a set of principles that recognize human freedom to make choices about our lives and develop the human potential of everyone (Australian Human Rights Commission n. d.). In their simplicity, these rights provide a person with the opportunity to live without aggression, oppression, and persecution.
The History of Human Rights
Hotbeds of what will become human rights in the future have emerged in virtually all major and advanced civilizations of antiquity since the Bronze Age. In those days, many cultures and civilizations, such as ancient Sumer, Babylon, and China, created laws that gave all citizens and residents of these states certain rights. This was often necessary for the competent allocation of resources and the development of the economy by raising the standard of living (Australian Human Rights Commission n. d.). In the future, human rights will already become the legal basis for entire systems of justice, as happened in ancient Athens and then in the Roman Republic. Further development of the concept of human rights was reflected in the European Middle Ages, the eras of renaissance and enlightenment, and the idea of empowering all people, based on the concept of “natural law.”
The Most Significant Developments
Later, these ideas influenced the political and social thinking of the people of the future. In 1215, the English aristocracy forced the king to sign the Magna Carta. This document, among other things, gave all people the right to court and so on. Then there was the French Revolution, which endowed all French citizens, regardless of class, with almost equal rights, the American Declaration of Independence was signed, and many other events. All this became the reason for the UN, formed after the Second World War, to declare the Universal declaration of human rights in 1948 (Amnesty International UK 2017). The document became the foundation for the existing and developing human rights institution in our time. Later in the United Kingdom, the Equity Act of 2010 was passed, combining several pre-existing anti-discrimination laws (Government Equalities Office and Equality and Human Rights Commission n.d.). Now, regardless of the development of other institutions and forms of government, people worldwide know that they are endowed with universal rights.
Several legal and social acts are illustrative examples of the application of human rights. The first thing to consider is the Scotland Children Act 1995, a strategy to modernize the family justice system. The law itself defines parental rights and obligations to children, as well as the obligations and powers of state bodies to support children and their families. It is about creating registers of child welfare curators, promoting the opinion of young children, protecting victims of domestic violence, and encouraging the socialization of children within the family (Scottish Government 2018). Also relevant in the context of this law is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is about ensuring the safety and happiness of children. Based on this convention, every child has the right to life, protection, and education regardless of race, religion, or ability (Save the Children n. d.). These initiatives are the clearest manifestation of the phenomenon of human rights, the essence of which is to ensure a dignified, just, and safe life for every person.
Human Rights-Based Approaches
There are at least two human rights approaches that are applicable in early learning and childcare. The first of them is PANEL which exists for constructing proper policies that are based on human rights laws (Australian Human Rights Commission 2021). The approach includes several fundamental principles that determine its nature and work. First, the participation principle means that people have equal access to decision-making in the actions influencing their rights. For example, when a government decides to implement a policy, it should consider the opinion of its citizens, who should understand and accept the decision. Next, the accountability principle guarantees the ability to assess the implementation of human rights. For instance, a country should employ administrators who know the law and can discern its breaking. Furthermore, the non-discrimination and equality principle declares no exceptions to human rights. As such, no human can treat someone violently based on their nationality or race. Finally, the empowerment and legality principles control the personal and legal representations of human rights (Australian Human Rights Commission 2021). Thus, the laws of a country should guarantee an ability to claim injustice to its people.
In turn, the FAIR approach serves for the same reason as the PANEL one, except for the emphasis on action in the case of FAIR. The four foundational principles of it aim at gaining facts, analyzing rights, identifying responsibilities, and reviewing actions (Scottish Human Rights Commission n. d.). The importance of using the two approaches in early learning and childcare is defined by the fact that children are humans and, therefore, have rights that should be respected.
An example of the application of the principle is in the Act of participation. As such, this act guarantees that all children can freely communicate their thoughts, desires, and dreams and be heard by adults (UNICEF United Kingdom n. d.). In this act, a FAIR principle of fact accessing is applicable. As such, schools provide an opportunity for children to express their thoughts according to their previous experience, not limiting them in the use of material for their expressions.
Ethical Norms
Based on human rights, modern ethical norms of the public and professional spheres are also formed—one of the clearest examples of this phenomenon in medicine. For example, in medicine, there is a practice of using medical students to care for patients. From the point of view of practice, this is very effective because it contributes to the effective teaching of students in the practice of interacting with patients. However, this practice is a problem because patients must choose whether to take care of the students or fully competent professionals. The Code of Medical Ethics Conclusion 9.2.1 states that “all physicians have a responsibility to ensure that patients are aware that medical students can participate in their treatment and be able to refuse treatment from students” (The Journal of the American Medical Association n. d.). The very existence of such a code of ethics and its attitude to this problem is a consequence of developing the concept of human rights.
Conclusion
To summarize, humanity has traveled thousands of years to finally formulate the essence of the universal rights of every person. The result is that people in the world have gained more freedom, justice, and equality. Human rights have made it possible to regulate and more effectively apply various professional spheres in society, as well as determine each person’s place in them. One should not forget that all these benefits in total give each person the right and the opportunity to be happy, living in a society without oppression, hatred, respect, and respect for oneself and other representatives of society.
Reference List
Australian Human Rights Commission n. d., An Introduction to Human Rights, Web.
Australian Human Rights Commission 2021, Human rights-based approaches, Web.
Amnesty International UK 2017, What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?, Web.
Government Equalities Office and Equality and Human Rights Commission n. d., Equality Act 2010: guidance, Web.
The Journal of the American Medical Association n. d., Medical Student Involvement in Patient Care, Web.
Save the Children n. d., UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Web.
Scottish Government 2018, Review of Part 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and creation of a family justice modernization strategy, Web.
Scottish Human Rights Commission n. d., The FAIR approach – putting a human rights-based approach into practice, Web.
UNICEF United Kingdom n. d., The right to participation, Web.