Comparison Of Democracy And The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

There are strong opinions about democracy and the improvement of human rights. Supporters argue that democratic society creates a shared culture which improves universal respect for rights. The institutional constrictions diminish government’s capacity and willingness to violate human rights. Setting a guideline of behaviors for both the people and the government, these institutions protect universal freedom and make repression an inappropriate course of action. Besides, democratic countries are organized through some prescribed “rules of the game” and a social contract which, unlike autocratic societies, increases greater societal and political control over any undue infringement of civic and political rights. Fear of electoral consequences, sanctions, and political survival significantly dissuade a government’s abuse of power since people might overthrow a repressive regime through popular vote.
Critics, on the other hand, contend democracy is not a cure-all. Thus a country’s transition to democracy does not automatically condense the violation of human rights at least for the short-term. Prior empirical research about democracy and human rights …show more content…
Democracy creates universal norms and values that promote awareness of mutual rights. A functional democracy accommodates plurality within the society, promotes equality, and protects universal freedom. Through constitutional mechanism and democratic institutions, democracy guarantees freedom of speech and political association and prevents any possible infringement of these rights by a repressive regime. In the Post-World War era, democracy thus evolved as an emerging international norm (Clark,