The Perception Of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) had 50 Member States participating in the final drafting. When ratified in 1948, all but eight of the nations agreed upon it, even with the eight nations abstaining from the agreement, there were no dissents (United Nations, 2016). Every article within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is significant. However, an article that is very important to me personally, is article five.
Article five clearly states that nobody has a right to hurt or torture us. I feel this is important to me because it is a right that is often times not followed. Since 1948 we have witnessed several armed conflicts, Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm and many others, all of which went against article five as all resulted in the deaths of thousands. Torture has been a basis of great dispute; especially in regards to
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After watching the video, it makes sense as to why articles such as the fifth, are disregarded by nations. In Mary Ann Glendon’s video, she states that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an “aspirational document”. What is meant by this is that the goal of the UDHR was not about enforcement, but about enculturation and setting up conditions so that the possibility of bad things transpiring is controlled and dwindled.
After watching the video, I am not as disappointed with such a document. My new understanding of the UDHR is that it as Glendon stated, an “aspirational document”. It is aspirational because most countries that have a Bill of Rights, have been influenced in some way by the UDHR, not enforced to do so (Glendon, 2008).
Being aspirational rather than enforceable affects the article which I chose because in my argument I questioned what good the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) if it could not be enforced. Now, after watching the video I realize that the mission and goal of the UDHR was not to enforce, but to aspire those who read it, to follow suit with its purpose.

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