Human Rights
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From the moment you are born, you are born equal, free and born with human rights and these rights refer to the necessities that people need to live peacefully and respectfully in the world. Even though from day one these are the things we as humans are entitled to, not everyone lives with such luxury. Violations of these rights have occurred around the world for many years and still do today. Poverty limits the access of many human rights, such as shelter, food, and health care but it also lessons human rights such as the right to freedom and also the right to expression. Human rights are being violated in every part of the world; in more less developed countries these rights are not being supported or upheld even more and every human, regardless of where they live have the right to the same freedoms.
One of the many human rights violations in less developed countries, and around the world is slavery. Stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is “no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”(Declaration of Human Rights 4), however, to this day the harsh reality of slavery still exists worldwide. Humans are being taken from their homes, lives, and families and are being trafficked and forced to work. Men, women and children all held against their will.
Many women and children, as young as five years old are forced into ritual slavery, human trafficking and forced labour. Women in less developed countries are more vulnerable to getting dragged into sexual slavery and trafficking through force or deception. They are often promised a job, housing and a better life often found outside of their current city and then sold as sex slaves. In some countries children are sold by their families as a last resort where selling a child might be their only means of survival. Children of slaves also find themselves at work; kids born into brothels or labor grow up following the path of their parents and grow up to be slaves. In Asia, UNICEF estimates that there are sixty thousand to one hundred thousand child prostitutes in the Philippines alone (UNICEF). These women and children are abused and scared into staying, and some are drugged so they cannot escape. The men that these women and children are forced to sleep with rarely use condoms so sex slaves often find themselves with many health issues not only from the conditions they live in but also sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and aids.
Not only are there women and children in sex slavery, being abused and forced to do sexual favours but there is also a great deal of people forced into labor or services. Children as young as five are trafficked out of Guinea-Bissau and are forced to work in cotton fields or as beggars in the capital city (United for Human Rights Article 4). These children are deceived also with promises of education and a better future and then find themselves in slavery working all day long for no pay, living in horrible conditions and are being abused. Children easily become victims and are forced to beg for money and none of which go to them. A majority of slaves can be found in Asia and in African countries (Free the Slaves). Slaves work in brothels, fields, homes, streets, mines and anywhere slave owners want them to.
Even though it is stated that there is to be no slavery it is one of the most violated rights, it may be illegal everywhere but it happens nearly everywhere. An estimated twenty seven people live in slavery today, unable to walk away (Free the Slaves). There are more slaves today then there were at any other time in the worlds history.
It is stated that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care” (Declaration of Human Rights 25). In various developing countries people are not able to live with such standards. They find themselves fighting for survival everyday with little food, water and health care. There are an estimated twenty seven to twenty eight percent of all children in developing countries that are underweight or stunted due to the lack of nutrition and food and one point four million children die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation (Anup Shah). People living in less developed countries find themselves in poverty leaving them with barely any food and very little to no income. Over three billion people live, almost half the world live on less than $2.50 a day (Anup Shah). Released in early 2013 by WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, thirty six percent of the worlds population, 2.5 billion people lack improved sanitation facilities and seven hundred and sixty eight million people still use unsafe drinking water and sources (UNICEF). Poor water and sanitation kills and sickens many children and adults each day.
Humans have the right to housing but out of one point nine billion children that are living in the developing world six hundred and forty million live without adequate shelter, that is one in three children (Anup Shah). These people living in such rough standards not only without good housing or get the food and nutrition they need but because of this find themselves suffering from a great deal of illnesses. These illnesses are usually fatal in the developing world due to lack of essential healthcare. Worldwide there are two point two million children that die each year because they are not immunized (Anup Shah).
Health care systems are essential for childbirth, protection of diseases, and curing sicknesses, but without the proper