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Human rights cover a wide and complex range
of concerns. Respect for life, liberty, autonomy, religion,
property, sexual orientation and freedom of expression are
just some of the general principles to be considered in attempts
to define this term. The United Nations Human Rights Declaration,
adopted and proclaimed on December 10, 1948 by the UN General
Assembly, provides the closest approximation of a universal
consensus on the issues involved (see
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html).
Responsibility for human rights starts with
each country's legal system, which should guarantee and enforce
their protection. Other institutions play a supervisory role
at the regional and international levels. In the Western Hemisphere,
the American Convention on Human Rights incorporates principles
set by the Organization of American States (OAS), which includes
among its bodies the Inter-American Court and Commission on
Human Rights. A variety of NGOs, among them Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International and the Washington Office on Latin America,
also monitor human rights violations internationally. Their
efforts are supported by broader organizations such as the
Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights, the International Center
for Human Rights and Democratic Development.
The President of the United States, through
the Bureau of Human Rights at the Department of State, is
obligated to write a yearly report on the status of human
rights worldwide. Both the domestic and international communities
expect the US government to put pressure on nations found
to be violating the human rights of their citizens.
By far the most difficult human rights situation
in the hemisphere is in Colombia, where the ongoing armed
conflict between guerrilla movements, paramilitaries and the
state has affected the civilian population as well as the
country's stability. In 2000 alone, Colombia recorded more
than 3,000 kidnappings. The violent death toll reached 28,000
in 1999, and 1.5 million Colombians have been displaced from
their homes. Human rights violations remain a constant in
other countries in the region, as well. Among the examples
cited by Human Rights Watch are police brutality, torture
and lack of access to effective justice systems.
The latest declaration to support human
rights in the hemisphere came at the Third Summit of the Americas
in April 2001. The region's leaders pledged their commitment
to full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
based on shared principles and convictions. To further this
goal, they supported strengthening and enhancing the effectiveness
of the inter-American human rights system, including the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights.
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