Beginning with John Locke in the 17th-18th century, certain 'natural rights' have been considered granted at birth. These, commonly known as used in the Declaration of Independence, are (among others) the rights to life, liberty, and property. Today, human rights abuses are a prominent occurrence all over the world. Women and children become victims of their husbands and fathers, of diseases curable in the Western world. They are slaves to sweatshops, where they earn sometimes as little as six cents an hour in terrible working conditions. The United Nations, established in October, 1945, has become the most successful, permanent international relations group for arbitrating between nations peacefully, ensuring friendly relations, cooperation in solving world issues, and promoting respect for human rights (1.) It's Universal Declaration of Human Rights was passed in 1948 by the General Assembly, and has become the foundation for not only it's own Human Rights policies and intervention endeavors, but also new human rights groups, such as Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch.
There is a growing counter movement around the world as well. Many say that the Human Rights, as proclaimed in the Declaration, are not as universal as western ideology would convey. The United States, which because of its mixed cultural a nation 'without a culture.' Arguably, Americans do not understand the cultural background that promotes the treatment and customs that ail victims. The capitalistic society, which focuses almost entirely on individualistic success, has no right to take away the communal traditions and tribal ownership that exists in countries with rituals that counteract western values. Human rights interventionist policies are based on the assumption that Western moral ideology is superior to the ethical standards of other cultures. From this point of view, it becomes evident that while the incidences of abuse worldwide are unfortunate, human rights groups, The US government, and the United Nation have no right to tell governments what to do.
